The Night Errand
by butterburfieldfairy
Summary: It is amazing how one night can change your life. And for Clary, what started out as a simple errand for the King turns into a fight for survival. Because someone is out to kill her, and he's hired the best assassins the magical world could offer! AU
1. The Beginning

**A/N:** I decided to take a little break with my other story **Glamours**. I plan on finishing it but right now i am still coming up with the proper way to fixate words and what not :( It may take awhile and on my attempt to create a good chapter, i made this side story thing just because I felt like making something a little old fashioned-ie :) which is new because I usually dont go for that sort of thing :D

Like I said, I need to take a break from writing Glamours, so here is a little story for you guys :) It depends if Im going to finish it. :) Considering the reviews it may get, and my mood, most definitely :D

Read and Review guys~ tell me if I should continue this or not! :D

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THE NIGHT-ERRAND  
**_//dedicated to City of Bones//  


* * *

_

Princess

One dark winter evening, a carriage pulled by three horses made its journey across the lonely woodlands of Alicante. The stars, flashing weakly up above, seemed so small that they were almost imperceptible amidst the huge layer of fog that appeared to dominate the sky.

And like every Christmas Clary had in Alicante, she would again be celebrating it indoors because of the freezing temperature.

Not that she hated the holiday, but it hardly seemed to spark concern in her part. Back at the manor house, everyone seemed to hustle and bustle all around, preparing Christmas trees and Christmas decors. Several of the young children would roam the streets— and despite the knee-high snow weighing them down—they managed to play tag or make snow angels, and even throw snowballs at each other.

It was, after all, a joyous season of togetherness but what use was togetherness for her?

"—she wants to name him Greg, but I told her I didn't like it. I wanted something more like _Bob—_or_ Simon Jr._,"  
Clary hadn't realized she was staring blankly at the carriage window, observing an interesting display of passing leafless trees.

"What?" She turned away from the view. The soft thumping of the horses' feet seemed to fill the entire night.

Straight across her was a young man of her age; his hair was tamed back, making him look scholarly, and his glasses, which he was rarely seen without, hung on the bridge of his nose. He was known by the name Simon Lewis I.

"Oh, I was just spending half the hour telling you about my wonderful bastard-son, a product of a one night stand I had, and the possible names my illegal wife and I are planning to name him." His reply was accompanied by a straight face.

"You're only 16—" Clary paused, and then sighed. "Oh, you were joking." The realization eased her disgust—but in turn, ignited her temper.

"I do believe I was not joking," he retaliated. "But rather, was making fun of you—it's a very entertaining thing to do, especially whenever I come by chilly dark nights, such as now, in my life."

"Aren't you a little too old to be playing practical jokes on innocent, and unsuspecting people?" She shifted in her seat so she could bore her sea green eyes into his deep dark ones.

He raised his arms in mock surrender. "Hey—I'm just your average guy here. I can damn well blow up an entire city and the king wouldn't care. But, you on the other hand—" he trailed off, wincing.

"_Yes_. I think this friendship was pretty much built because of my father's interest in your father's work." Clary answered dully.

"_No_," Simon disagreed. "This friendship was built because, technically, I was the only one _semi_-allowed to talk to you."

"Oh, and how lucky I was." was Clary's reply.

Simon Lewis I broke into a smile, and for the first time during the whole night, Clary found herself needless of dreamland.

"Simon, you are my closest friend—only friend, whichever you prefer—and ever since we were children, we have been very close. I can tell you every secret I can think of, totally confident that you would never tell a soul." Simon listened very carefully to her words. Somehow, he felt something important that needed to be caught was to come from them, most definitely.

Clary tucked a lose strand of curling red hair behind her ear, then she asked, "Have you ever dreamed of making love with someone you've never met?"

Simon made a gagging sound and almost felt his insides turn into butter.

"What kind of question is that?" he cried.

She merely blinked. "A very honest one?" she prompted.

Simon didn't know if he should be concerned of her mental condition, or if he were to laugh at her obvious innocence.

He sighed. "What? Did Jonathan teach you these things? Clary, your brother is full of bull—uhm, he doesn't always know when it's best to keep his mouth shut… especially when he's around his 15 year old little sister." Simon went on.

Clarissa puffed up. "I'm going to be 16 in a few weeks you know!"

The carriage rocked a bit before finally coming to an abrupt halt.

"What was that?" But even before Simon could react quickly enough, Clarissa was already dashing out of the carriage door, a lantern at hand.

"Hello? Are there any wild beasts out there?" she asked, her voice slightly wavering.

"If there were, dear—then I highly doubt they'd even give you a chance to make conversation with them." an unfamiliar voice answered her.

"Gah!" By dropping the lantern on the ground, its flame was totally extinguished by the freezing snow. Clary stood there in the scary darkness with a possible talking beast which might kill her at any moment now. She could feel goose bumps rising in her arms.

But something at the edge of Clarissa's vision sparked. A small lit match stick was floating in mid air a few meters away from her. It moved downward to where the lantern was. Suddenly, the lantern started hovering as well—and soon enough, a portion of the nippy forestland was graced with light.

And the identity of the person responsible for lighting the lantern was no beast, but only a smiling old man. He was obviously a traveler because of his clothes: a darkly colored scarf was twisted around his neck and an over coat buttoned down to the last pin. A black hat was covering most of his head, and Clary could compare him to a camel—what with his hump-like back.

He approached her and handed over the lantern politely.

"You dropped this, milady." he told her.

When Clary outstretched a hand, a sword's tip was flung so that it was positioned between the old traveler's eyes.

"Simon, stop!" With all the strength she could muster, Clary pulled Simon by the back of his shirt to restrain him from doing the old man any harm.

"He's just a traveler—he was only returning my lantern!" she attempted to reason out.

It seemed to bring Simon to his senses because he withdrew his sword. Due to fear or nervousness, the old man huddled in a corner, shivering.

Simon turned to Clary, an angry expression clear on his face.

"What were you thinking, Princess?" His voice was deadly low; like he was trying to keep the old man from hearing. Clary flinched. Simon never called her by her title not unless he was extremely angry at her. Because only when he was extremely angry did he remind her that she was a daughter of the most powerful monarch in Alicante.

You see, Simon Lewis I was son to John Lewis III, Clary's father's—the king's— favorite welder. It was Clary who insisted that Simon call her by her regular name when they were alone and informal. He hasn't called her Princess since they were seven—and hearing him say it now sounded foreign to her ears. But it was still a bitter reminder of her caged and boring life. Maybe that's why he used it to scold and punish her.

Simon caught himself and with a revolted expression, he bowed.

"I'm sorry, Princess." His voice was strained with guilt as he whispered.

"I told you years ago it was alright for you to call me Clary." But even as she claimed so—she felt in her heart a pain of having a friend be so reserved towards her. Back in the castle, everyone addressed her as Clarissa—or Princess—or Milady—or whichever title fit their pleasing. Her father was very uptight—thus he often called her Clarissa, as well—but on the occasions when he was feeling warm and loving, he would entitle her as _Daughter_.

But this was nothing new to Clary.

Her father was an alien to her; she accepted that. Sure he was around the kingdom, and they were together daily—but a gap had formed between her, her mother and him ever since she was born. Clary liked to think this was because he never took an interest on a daughter who could not heir his throne when he passes on—instead of letting herself believe they were just a perfect family going through tough times because he was king.

He had 15 years to get used to the works of Kingship—Clary saw no reason to give Valentine any compensation now.

Her father may have treated her with lack of concern, but he seemed to love her older brother like he was an extension of his own shadow. Jonathan was not ill towards her, but neither was he warm. He addressed her formally as well, and they rarely spoke of fun topics like you'd expect of siblings. Jonathan preferred solitude while Clary was forced in it. But on the bright side, Clary always had her mother. Jocelyn was a good woman, who Clary thought sadly, was not using her abilities to their fullest potentials.

Jocelyn always told Clary stories of adventure when she was growing up. Clary enjoyed the idea of leaving the castle and seeing the world, but her father would never permit her to until now.

"Excuse me. Sir; Milady," The old man quipped. Simon and Clary broke apart from their whispering stance and the old man began to stand up.

"Please do not fight over an old traveler like me. I was only passing along this road when your carriage stopped. Seems like one of your horses collapsed! Exhaustion, I reckon."

Simon surveyed him critically before nodding. Taking the lantern which fell to the floor during the exchange, he said, "I'll go check it out."

"I'll come with you." Clary said.

"No. Stay here." Simon pointed a warning finger at her. "I'll have to go check on the horses, then on the baggage to see if the parcel is still there."

"In no purpose on being nosy, sir… but are you out to deliver something out of town?" The old man said, twisting his scarf well into his neck. Probably to prevent the cold from reaching there.

"We were asked to do a night errand for my father. He's a—a local blacksmith." Clary said. She may be naïve, but if there was one thing she'd learned from being royalty, it would be to never reveal your blue blood to strangers.

Even if it was just a nice old man.

The old man nodded, and Clary caught that beneath the hat, he frowned.

"Ah, and on the eve before Christmas! How unfortunate for you two; not being able to celebrate it with your families."

Clary couldn't help but let out a snort.

"Oh don't be bothered of it. Nothing much happens with them anyway."

"What she means is," Simon interjected. "Yes, well, as soon as we deliver the package the better. _Right?_"

Clary grumbled as a reply. Simon jumped off of the carriage and turned to her. "Now I won't be long. Stay inside."

"You don't have to fix it right away you know. I'm in no hurry to go home." She said to him.

"Don't be crazy," He said. "You should feel us lucky. Thankfully we only came across an old man and not some wild animal."

Now what they didn't know was this man was much _much_ worse.

* * *

Shadowhunter

"Jace." An ominous voice filled the small gray room. "I have a job for you."

The room was bare except for a couch and a big flat screen television that showed nothing but static. Not all the rooms in Albatross were like this one—some where actually much brighter—but this one was the most peaceful place to take a little nap in.

But apparently, there shall be no solitude for him today. Jace sighed as he stood up from the couch. He reached for the remote at the far end and turned the t.v. off.

A place known to harness the skills of superhuman beings—make them faster, stronger, and much more attentive to their surroundings—Albatross is both feared, and delighted upon by those who wish to ask for their services.

Mostly high positioned and lofty officials from rich mundane worlds—wanting a witness to their corruption or infidelity killed so badly and ruthlessly they'd trade their dearest possession to assassinate that person.

Usually, those who would make deals with Albatross were those with a degree of familiarity in magic. After all, one could not make contact with an alternate world without knowing how to cast a few spells, or pull a little dark curses.

That was the most Jace knew about transactions in and out of Albatross—the rest was strictly confidential.

Like any highly reputable training facility, Albatross sported a military-style set up where in they were ranked according to how good they are. Jace belonged to the first rank, and his code name was _Shadowhunter_.

Jace fights with swords, and not once, since he was five, had anyone in Albatross been able to beat him at a sparring match.

As he walked past people in the corridors—some stopped in their tracks and stared, some went the other direction, while some tried to preoccupy themselves with training—Jace felt like the type of guy mothers would keep their children far away from.

Jace didn't have much friends, growing up in Albatross sort of left you alienated from the outside world, but he did care for his training buddies who come to be known as his rank mates.

Alec Lightwood, a timid boy who's older than Jace, had the ability to shoot his arrows even from long range places with speed and precision like that of a caliber bullet racing at 6,000 miles per hour. Rather than being Jace's right hand man, he was also his best friend. In Albatross, he was called _Criss Cross_.

Isabelle Lightwood, sister of Alec, was called _Prima Bronze. Bronze_ because the whip she used in battle was made from the blood of a demon she had killed in a raid back in their home when she was a child. The blood it oozed out was bronze colored, and when it made contact with any human skin, it would burn it like acid.

Magnus Bane, a high warlock who's probably even older than most middle aged men in Albatross, was called, creatively, _Magnus Bane_. Though he may not have a cool code name, his gift speaks for itself. Magnus, as stated, is a warlock with decades of experience. In the group, he's the 'battle plan tactitioner' (his own personal description) and is Alec's boyfriend.

"Funny seeing you here, Shadowhunter. Finally let that big airhead of yours deflate a little bit so you could play with the underdogs?"

The voice came from _Wolf_, a.k.a Luke Graymark He was the one who trained Jace and the others since childhood. He became their Commander in Charge a year before his own teammates were massacred during an assignment.

"Ha Ha," He said sarcastically. "I don't know who you were insulting with that 'dog' joke. Me or you."

"Always the nice little brat; You know, I always did favor you, kid." He tousled Jace's blonde hair. Jace scoffed, but they walked on companionably.

"Just to let you know, I'm on my way to _The Voice's_ room." Jace said, as they continued to walk.

_The Voice_ was what they called their boss. He (or whatever _The Voice_ was) was the one who controlled their job assignments giving them access to the portals which would take them to the place they would carry out the assassination.

Jace called it 'assassination' because in general, that was sort of what they were doing.

He hated it, but there was nothing he could do.

Wolf stayed quiet, but when they reached the door of the said room, he placed a hand on Jace's shoulder and squeezing it.

"Just—Just remember, it's your job, alright?"

Jace smirked, and shrugged his hand off. But Jace entered the dark chamber where he came in many times to be oriented on who was the next guilty soul they were to slaughter for with Wolf's words still ringing in his ear.

"Shadowhunter." The ominous voice said immediately after Jace closed the door behind him. "The coordinates of your journey, details and information you might find useful are well noted into that small note taped at the bottom of the chair. Remember that you may not bring that note along with you on your trip—for the security of the customer. Memorize it, and destroy the evidence afterward. The mission is to be completed in—"

"Yeah, Yeah, I know the drill." Jace said as if he'd been over this a thousand times. "Can I just ask one question?" He didn't wait for a reply. "Can I take Alec, or Isabelle, or Magnus with me?"

The Ominous Voice didn't respond immediately, but after awhile he said, "No." Then after a slight pause, "You embark alone."

That was all Jace needed to hear. He reached under his seat, and just as the Voice had said, a small golden note was taped there, with different words and information compressed into it. Jace stood up and bowed, for it was proper courtesy, though the Voice was not really in the room with him, and walked away without a word of protest.

"Tsk. Always alone." he said under his breath.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, that's where I stopped :) Please let me know what you guys think, and review me if you love it enough to continue :D


	2. Mission Commence

**A/N:** Forgive this chappie for having slight errors. FFnet is being bitchy 'cause the normal editor place where I make the chapter (document manager) is broken and is now currently in html format. Im getting pissed because its hard to memorize the code to make a page break ok? damnit.  
But anyway, here's another chapter :) (still, im not getting anywhere with **Glamours**. :( I've currently made dozens of drafts, but i cant make everything connect just yet. I nalso need the perfect ending)  
I hope you like this chapter, and this story :) It's fun to write, and reviews would be great! :D NO REVIEWS NO UPDATE :)  
these rules are set on stone. :) Well, I wont keep you waiting any longer, enjoy! :)

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**THE NIGHT-ERRAND**  
_/dedicated to City of Bones/  


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Shadowhunter

"Details, Shadowhunter. Now." Wolf was waiting outside, as if Jace had only taken minutes inside _The Voice's_ room.

Jace waved him off.

"Later. Got to pack my stuff." he said.

Jace was already creating inventory in his mind to see how much weapons, medicines, herbs and clothes he should bring when Wolf blocked his path and said in deep undertone, "No. Now."

Jace sighed and began telling his commander his mission.

"Alicante. Apparently, our complainant has a little thorn on his side he wants us to remove… _indefinitely_."

"And he requested you specifically?" Wolf asked in shock astonishment. He couldn't imagine how anyone could hate someone so much to send Jace out to get him.

Jace shrugs, but a smug smile graced his lips, as if he'd read Wolf's thoughts.

"He probably wants the best we've got. So…" Jace then dramatically raises his hand.

Wolf was feigning a smile. "Don't get cocky, Shadowhunter. Don't forget you dropped 15 seconds off the field exercise last week."

"It was because of Major Prima Bronze's horrible cooking. It gave me gas."

After Jace said this, Wolf burst out laughing.

"Well." He pats Jace's shoulder paternally. "I'd tell you to go and try not to kill anybody, but that'd be quite stupid in our field of work."

Jace looked down at his feet. "It'll be over fast anyway. Nobody'll be around to slow me down."

A cold expression rose to Wolf's face and he dropped his hand.

"The Voice said you'd go alone?" His voice was a mixture of disbelief and rage.

"To be specific, he said _'You shall embark alone'_" Jace attempted to make him laugh again, but he was in Commander mode, thus, completely serious.

Jace began to get annoyed by his concern. "Look, it's no big deal. I've done plenty of missions alone. No point in changing it now. 'Sides, the faster I go, the better. I don't like traveling to other worlds with a purpose to cut somebody's life short."

Before Wolf could say something, a tall and confident looking dark haired girl strutted over to them. She was wearing warrior gear, and stains of blood were all over the shield she kept at her side, which gave the impression she had just spent the day in training. But her eyes were not as ruthless as you may think; she may have been wearing steel and armor around her body, but her expression was warm, and she had an easy and comfortable smile on her face.

"Ah, having another manly talk about our job descriptions?" She commented.

"Izzy," Jace addressed her by her nickname. Alec was like a brother to him; and he considered Isabelle like the little sister he never had.

"Now is not the time to make snide comments." Jace told her.  
Isabelle raised her brow. "Oh you're the one to talk. Like you give timing to any of your sarcastic commentaries."

Jace was furious, but she was dead calm. Probably, the long term effect of being raised as murderers left them with the ability to handle any situation coolly.

Isabelle leaned forward, and whispered to Jace, "I heard you got an assignment from _The Voice_!"  
"Oh. So you came here to bid me adieu?" Jace mocked.

Isabelle stepped back, and rolled her eyes. But then she caught in on his words and something in Isabelle's mind began to click.  
"YOU'RE GOING ALONE?" she yelled.  
Jace covered his ears. The shrill sound of her scream may permanently damage his hearing.

"Yes." Jace answered. But before Isabelle could yell again, he added, "I don't know why ok? Look, for whatever it's worth, I asked The Voice if I could take either of you guys along—but he just gave me crap about 'embarking alone'. And I don't see what the big deal is—I've went to a lot of missions without you guys because The Voice said so. I'll get it done real fast you wont even know I've been gone." He promised. "Jeez, Izzy. No need to throw a bitch fit over it."

"Oh, I'm throwing a bitch fit huh?" She meant to scream at a soprano high tone. "Jace, the only time they send only one out to complete a mission is if they're either sure that person is good enough to come back, or horrible enough to die on the case!"

Jace let out a little smile. "Oh, and you fear I belong to the second category?"  
His comment only made her even more furious. "That isn't the point! Jace it is dangerous to go on your own—even if you are you!"

"Izzy, I told you; I can handle it." When she looked undecided, Jace turned to Wolf, who hadn't said a word since Isabelle arrived. "Remember that mission to Khagra I had a year ago? I did that on my own too—and I came back. And the worst I came back with was a little scar on my knee because some whacked king sent lions to scrape at my flesh."

Wolf looked into Jace's eyes, and Jace hoped he'd be less emotional about this than Izzy was.

"I trust you'll survive, Shadowhunter."  
Jace smiled, and Isabelle's mouth dropped.

"Thanks. It means a lot." Wolf nodded at him. Jace turned to look at Isabelle who was still very angry.  
Jace walked over to her and placed his hand on her head.  
"You know you're only pissed because you're going to miss me right?"

Isabelle scoffed, but she smiled. "Fine." she said, defeated. "You will at least try to make it a clean kill, wont you? Those gruesome outcomes always leave problems for your clothing specialists."

"I don't have clothing specialists. I do, however, have two really annoying teammates that can't seem to see the beauty of other people's unique manner of dressing."  
Isabelle scoffed again, but this time she was laughing. "I'm so telling Magnus you said that."  
She then proceeded to hugging him hard. He hugged he back.

Now everyone always assumed he and Izzy would hook up like Alec and Magnus did but they never did. Maybe because Jace had no interest in her other than family... besides, in any other circumstance, love didn't fit in with his manner of living anyway.

After they released, Izzy looked at her brother-by-extension warmly and walked over to Wolf. Jace looked at him, and they exchanged a nod.

"Want us to help you pack? Wouldn't want the last thoughts your victim to be _'Oh, my killer's pants totally didn't match with his shirt' _now would we?" Wolf said and Isabelle giggled.  
Jace snorted, but he was happier now that they were only trying to distract him from the real fact that he was being sent out to kill somebody again.

"Can you just get me a portal so I can get this over with and go back to more important matters?"  
"Like what?" Isabelle quirked. "Napping?"

* * *

Princess

Simon walked swiftly across the snow-covered ground toward the horses and Clary was obedient enough to remain behind. No other noise filled the cold night, and Clary began to feel uncomfortable after a few minutes of hearing nothing from Simon. She then remembered that there was an old man outside in the shivering cold, and she rushed to open the carriage door. She was shocked to see he was only meters away she could see the breaths he released.

"M'lady." The words were endearing, but something about his tone made her think he was mocking her.  
"Uhm, yes." Clary felt her knees shivering. "Are you alright out here? It seems pretty cold." She was offering him to stay inside the carriage because it was warmer, but something in the back of her mind kept telling her it was a bad idea.

"Out here is fine, M'lady. No need to fuss." He answered politely.  
"Oh. Well, Is Simon going to take long? He's been out there for quite a long time."

The old man let out a cough that highly sounded like a laugh.  
"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be back soon."  
"I don't know… I should go check on him." Clary pushed Simon's warning voice to stay inside at the back of her mind. She took a spare lantern and descended the carriage. Without looking at the old man, she walked over to the front of the stagecoach and called "Simon!"

She saw all 6 horses lying on the ground, obviously dead due to some reason.  
"Oh my god," Clary said out loud to herself. The cold prevented the blood from overflowing from them, but Clary saw slits in their throats. Clary saw a small cylinder on the ground beside them which was the lantern Simon took awhile ago. But he was nowhere to be found.  
Clary wasn't panicking, and she felt that leaving the coach was a bad idea after all.

"M'lady." It wasn't the old man's voice. It was louder, more boisterous, and Clary could imagine it belonging to a drunken man who sneered after a syllable.  
Clary turned around and saw no one. She held the lantern close to her, and said in a confident voice, "Where is Simon?"

A laugh echoed in the forest. Clary couldn't see how defenseless she was in this situation. She was alone in a forest highway, where trees were high up in the sky. If someone would cause her harm, she'd be trapped, she'd be dead.

Clary clutched her lantern in both hands as she surveyed the darkness.  
"I-I'm not afraid of you!"  
She turned to another direction and she came face to face with the old man. His hat was off, and so was his cloak. He was wearing something that looked black and oily. His gloves looked pointy, like talons and his mouth was protruding in an odd manner. When he smiled, Clary saw that his teeth were very sharp and bloody.

"M'lady, you really should be." He whispered using the old man's voice, then Clary let out a cry as he slashed the lantern from her hand, leaving the night as dark as possible.


	3. Ulterior Motives

**A/N:** Well here's the next chapter :D I hope you guys like it :D I was already working on more chapters and I'm just sort of having fun writing this :D Mostly because i get to set Clary and JAce's world apart frome ach other- which is sort of cool and mysterious :D

thank you so much for all those who reviewed! :D I love you guys and this update is for you~

**

* * *

THE NIGHT-ERRAND  
**_/dedicated to City of Bones/_

_

* * *

_

Princess

As soon as the lantern's glow blew out, Clary scrambled to get away but as quick as her heartbeat raced—the creature pinned her to the ground. Clary felt pain in her arms as his sharp claws caved into her skin.

"No need to run, M'lady." He was so close Clary could smell his putrid breath. "No need at all."  
Clary was fighting for her release as she said, "What are you? What do you want?"

In the darkness Clary could make out his huge cat-like eyes staring at her. His entire body seemed covered with slime (or was it blood?) and as his claws pressed into Clary's flesh, blood began to ooze unto the white snow.

"M'lady!" His voice was exclaiming shock. "Why—I'm just an _old traveler_. And I want nothing at all, M'lady. Nothing…"  
He drew even closer to her, and whispered, "…Between you and me—I don't really want to kill you."

Clary held her breath, His breath smelled like thousand old rotting tomatoes. "Really? I'm afraid you've given me the other impression."

He let out a growl so inhumane Clary almost thought he was a giant blood thirsty cannibal. But no animal could have talons as rock-hard as his skin.

Demon.  
"I see why he wants you dead." The demon spat. Clary was shocked when she felt something cold rising up her skirt.

The demon was licking her.

"You are…" he moaned. "…very…"  
Clary didn't want to hear what was at the end of that sentence so—though it was very unsanitary—she bit his tongue as it approached her upper torso. The demon let out a horrible cry and released her.

Clary rushed to stand up, and though her arms ached endlessly, she ran. Clary didn't know how long her momentary escape would last but she knew for sure she would not want to end up… there… again with that demon _touching_ her.

She summoned every ounce of strength she had to look for anyone—anyone—in the deserted highway to help her. The odds were against her but she couldn't stop now. If she did, she'd be dead; or worse…

Clary felt the tears threatening to pour down her eyes, but the cold temperature just froze them in place. Clary ran through bushes and trees, and after what felt like miles—Clary tripped because of exhaustion.

She settled there on the cold damp ground for a few seconds, breathing heavily before hauling herself up again to run even faster.

After more long strides, Clary began to lose her fighting spirit—and along with that, the feeling in her legs. She stopped on her tracks and fell to the ground. Her heart was pounding very fast, and she was so very afraid.

Her arms were numb and her blood seemed to ooze without end. Clary held her hands tight, and she began to rock herself.

_'I'm going to die. I'm going to die.' _her heart kept on chanting. But a light that surfaced somewhere a few yards from her seemed to disagree.

Clary's heart rose, and she forgot all her pain as she made her way toward it.  
And for a thought she couldn't explain—Clary had never felt so secure in her life.

* * *

Shadowhunter

Wolf secured the wire that connected the portal to its power reserve. The portal itself was shaped like one giant door. This was how they managed to cross worlds back and forth from Albatross. All doors ran using a magical energy that flowed from the wires. Nobody could control where the doors would take you, except for The Voice. Usually, the doors/ portals had numbers engraved on them—and The Voice would put the number in the notes he left for those who had assignments.

Nobody, not even the Commanders, had access to the control of the portals—so nobody could set their coordinates except for The Voice.

Magnus was part of the Albatross team that helped juice the portals. Meaning—he was one of those who provided the magic that ran the entire portal system.

But even Magnus had no idea where the magic led to. Everything was always kept a secret, and everyone was always reminded that _'the less you know; the better.'_

One final plug was set and Wolf clapped his hands, cheerfully. "Your carriage is all set, Sire." he said in a funny accent.

Jace slung his bag over his back and looked at his Commander with a raised brow.

Wolf smiled. "Didn't do your research? Alicante is a very old fashioned place. Get used to the language—most inhabitants are very polite and fancy."

Jace's mouth creased slightly. "You never fail to give me the most unneeded information Luke Graymark." Jace addressed him with his real name.

Wolf laughed and pushed him forward. "Get in there!"  
Jace laughed as well and stepped in front of the door. Wolf was already powering up the machine when a loud cry went "Wait!"

Jace, Luke, and Isabelle turned. Isabelle smiled and waved happily. Rushing toward them was a dark haired boy—his clothes seemed to mismatch, and his shoes seemed to be glittering.

"Criss Cross! Jolly good." Wolf said again in his funny accent.  
"What's up with the tone, Wolf?" Alec asked, settling to standing beside Isabelle.  
"What's up with the shoes, Alec?" Jace said, obviously as a pun.

Alec glared at him while saying, "Was I talking to you?"  
But Jace merely laughed. Alec moped a little, staring at his shoes with absolute inconvenience.

"Magnus was applying this new instant-shine shoe-shiner on my shoes… but I think he made them too shiny and now they're so shiny they glitter and blind people at the same time. And the worse news is that, I've been the point of jokes in the training ground! Stuff like _'New secret weapon, Criss Cross?' _or _'He's gonna blind his opponents with his shoes!' _Are you listening, Jace?" Alec crossed his arms.

"Sorry. I was mesmerized by how many times you said _shiny_." Jace said innocently.  
"You're unbelievable!" Alec exclaimed.  
"And handsome—don't forget that!" Jace said in reply.

Alec let out one gigantic groan. Isabelle laughed and Wolf smiled.  
"Oh, about Magnus—where is he, anyway? I need to have a word with him." Luke said.  
"About what?" Alec started.  
Wolf's eyes looked deep set and he said in a strong voice, "Guys, you know it's always is—"

"Right—classified. Sorry, Wolf." The three said in unison.  
"Well then," Wolf had his grin back on now. "Where is your boyfriend, Cross?"

Alec's face turned slightly pink. "I think he's still on duty."  
Wolf and Alec were already conversing about random topics when Jace whistled and they both turned.

"Guys—about to leave here. Staying on course of the mission would be nice."  
Both smiled and Wolf muttered, "Alright, Alright."

After a short while, the machine was booming again and the portal was ready for use. Jace had just held the door knob when a voice piped in again.

"Leaving without saying goodbye, Shadowhunter?"  
Jace turned and saw Magnus, in all his glittering glory, standing cockily along with the others.  
Jace groaned. "I won't be long. After the horrible impersonation Wolf gave of Alicante's folk—I'll be happy to get the job done quickly and come home."

Wolf made a 'hmph' sound but nevertheless said nothing.  
Everyone was looking at him, and Jace sighed.

"I'll see you guys later." he finally said.

"You'd better!" said Isabelle.

"Keep safe—and remember your manners" said Alec.

"Write me a postcard!" Magnus called cheerfully.

Finally, before turning the knob, Jace looked at his superior—and when Wolf gave him a confirming nod, Jace twisted the handle and after crossing the magical haze, Jace found himself freezing his ass off.

The sky was raining cold and dry rain, and a blanket of white covered the entire land.

It was winter time in Alicante.

Jace wasted no time. Surveying his surroundings, Jace saw that he was in the alley of a huge pub. He was walking toward the entrance when he heard noises in the deeper, darker parts of the corner. He turned and caught two locals smacking lips, and Jace thought it was like seeing two huge whales wrestle.

After much thought, he decided to leave the two be, and decided to make his way into the bar. The temperature was well beyond freezing, so Jace took out his leather jacket and cloaked himself with it.

When he slid inside the resto, warmth hit him. An open fire was burning in the fireplace. Jace walked across the wooden floorboards toward the counter and sat in one of the stools.

Jace hailed a bartender who made a point to look him up and down first before taking his order.

"What will it be?" said the bartender.  
"Tonic." Jace didn't drink; but Albatross training had taught him never to enter a pub without having to order one alcoholic drink. Tonic was not high on alcohol as other drinks. It only created the illusion that one was drinking, but not really.

The bartender nodded and filled his shot.

"You a visiting folk?" Jace was prepared for this. He knew the rules of small town talk. And he knew his profile, and he would stick to it.  
"Yeah. I'm a blacksmith apprentice." Jace laid his bag on top of the table. The weapons inside made a slight clank.  
"See? Brought a lot of iron for trade."

The bartender seemed convinced by the lie. He gave Jace a nod, and said, "You shouldn't trade with the merchants in the black market—not unless you've got the good stuff."

"Oh. You seem to know a lot about that." Jace faked interest.  
"Yeah." The bartender said proudly. "A lot of folk come in and out of these parts—trading magical items for magical items. Magic does exist—though everyone else in this country believes otherwise."

"Ah," Jace said in agreement. "Speaking of country—I'm on my way to Alicante. Know any good blacksmiths there?"  
The bartender slammed the table, causing everyone in the pub to momentarily keep silent.

"Aye, boy." He said with much distaste. "But I doubt you can talk to him, or see him. The King doesn't want other people to have any access to his precious metals. I don't know what the big fuss is about—I think he's just trying to keep the blacksmith all to himself. Word around the market is that he's particularly crafty and he can make a blade so sharp, it can cut through trees in one swipe."

Jace couldn't help be interested at this point. After all,he was a swordsman. He had to agree—swords like that were probably very valuable and the envy of many. The King couldn't be blamed for wanting to keep it in complete lock down.

"Well, too bad for me then." Jace feigned disappointment. He gulped down the tonic and said, "Well, I best be heading north then."

The bartender looked slightly confused. "North?"  
Jace nodded innocently. "North. Isn't that where Alicante is?"  
Something Jace said set the bartender laughing. "Hooboy—son you really are from out of town!"

"Why—whatever do you mean?" Jace made a mock version of Wolf's earlier accent.  
"Everyone here knows Alicante is due West. Just head the highway over there—careful, it's a bit snowy and there are no street lamps around—and keep moving forward, and you're sure to reach Alicante in a week's time."

"A…a _week_?" Jace felt his jaw drop. He didn't think it'd take this long to get to the person whom he'd kill in less than 40 seconds.

"Aye—no other route, son." The bartender said sternly. "The road is mighty dangerous—a lot of stray travelers there, and a few hungry beasts. But don't be frightened—they're all probably hibernating."

"Wow—Sir you know a lot about this place. I wish I had your brains—Sadly, I don't even have a light to guide me through those dark woods." Jace sighed dramatically.

"Aw, you're making me flush—no light?" He took a big lantern that hanged near the coat closet and handed it to Jace. "Take this."

Jace smiled and made sure to leave a tip before leaving the pub heading west.  
Oh yeah. He was good.

* * *

**A/N:** that was the chapter :D Did you guys like it? If you did, please drop a review kay? :D they make me happy

Anyway, the next chapter will be entitled **Worlds Collide **and it's actually just a continuation of this chapter (I sort of made this chappie too long and i had to cut it short~ so now it's other half will be in the next chapter :D)

Im going to start it tomorrow~ right now, i need to sleeeeeeeeeeep :)


	4. Worlds Collide

**A/N:** If you were wondering why this chapter is a little bit short, that's probably because it was originally a part of the previous chapter, **Ulterior Motives. **I thought that chapter too long so i cut it and made this one :) So forgive me, and i promise the next chapter would be a little longer.

I wanted to post this earlier but there has been rotating black outs in our region :( Annoying and inconvenient it is.  
Thank you so much for those who left me reviews :D I love you guys! (there is a note for you at the bottom of this story ;))

Ok, this chapter, as I've stated before, is called **Worlds Collide**. For what reason? You guys decide :)~

* * *

**THE NIGHT-ERRAND  
_/dedicated to City of Bones/_**

_

* * *

_

Princess

Trying to run with an open wound gushing in your arms, and evading branches at the same time was a tedious task—but Clary managed. But while she sped off, she heard a laugh echo around her.

Instead of stopping to try and decipher the sound, Clary ran even faster, hoping against all odds that she'd reach that speck of light before she permanently got destroyed.

But it appeared as if the light was so very far away—and though her legs ached, it seemed like she wasn't getting any closer.

"M'lady—you've traveled a long way." And just like that, the demon fell from the sky, his entire body blocking her path. "Now—you really think I'm going to let you live? Master would then be very… _displeased_." He roared into laughter again, and Clary felt shivers crawl down her sweating face.

"I have no business with your master—I don't even know what on earth he could want from me!" In one swoop, the demon was close to her again, and his breath was just as horrible as it was awhile ago. Clary saw his razor sharp teeth shine, and his mouth twisted oddly into what seemed to be a smile.

"M'lady— surely you aren't so dense?" he asked, using the old traveler voice again. Clary kept her mouth shut, and he only laughed harder.

He cupped her face with his bloody fingers and whispered theatrically, "You _do _have something he wants—something which will make him the most powerful man in the whole world."

Clary thought hard—and she couldn't think of anything which belonged to her that might be used for world domination.  
And then she remembered that the demon had asked her earlier about their voyage—and the parcel they were transporting for the king.

That parcel must have been very important if someone were to send demon murderers out to get it.  
Clary gasped for air. The demon was crushing her throat, and her jaw. He only laughed as her struggles were in vain.

"You know it's such a shame—if we weren't of different species—I would've made you my woman." He leaned closer to her. "You have such wonderful hair."

Clary took a chance and raised her legs so she could kick his tenders.  
Apparently, demon or not—they were still the most vulnerable part of the male body.

The demon groaned, and Clary pulled his hands from her neck and ran again. She didn't look back; she kept on running, and running, ignoring the branches that scratched her. She ran past the trees and bushes, not caring if her dress got in the way or if it ripped along the seams. Presentation was the least of her concerns right now.

Finally, she reached an open highway and was a meter away from the person carrying what Clary now believed was salvation. Without thinking, Clary lunged forward and yelled, "Help!"

The person caught her by the hair and locked her arm to her back.

Clary yelped in pain and she felt tears hazing her vision.  
It took a while for the person to let her go, and when he did, Clary scrambled to her feet away from him.  
She turned to look at him, and she was terrified of what she saw.

The lantern in one hand and a blade in another, the stranger was face to face with the demon.

* * *

Shadowhunter

As Jace got deeper into the forest, he felt more at peace. The pub was probably miles away by now. There were no nearby villages or residences in this part of the country. And as Jace noted, electricity wasn't very popular in this world. The walk was lonesome and trees reached as high as the sky. Rather than the light illuminated from the lantern, the night was completely dark, and completely silent.

Jace had never felt so relaxed. He was already tempted to stop right there and lay down and take a big—  
Something across Jace's vision flashed and dove straight at him!  
Without another thought, Jace applied instinct. It was fairly easy, and Jace couldn't help wondering why the thing had such soft hands.

Judging by the sobs, it was a girl.

Jace's eyes grew wide, and he released the _person's_ arm. After he did, it was as if the forest had come to life. There was a strong rustling of leaves, and a horrible sound seemed to boom from everywhere.

Jace took out the sword hidden at his back and prepared himself.  
And on cue, a large black thing fell from the heavens, and crouched in front of him.  
Jace flashed the light in front of him, and he recognized it's structure to be that of an Eidolon demon's.

An Eidolon was a type of shape shifting demon; known to take form to many humans, animals, or every day appliance (Jace has seen it happen) to lure their prey into thinking they blended with the surroundings.

Eidolon demons were a little bit craftier than other demons—meaning, they actually had the ability to think—but Jace knew how to beat them.

He smiled politely at the evil incarnate.  
"Any problem here, sir?" Jace asked politely, tipping his sword toward the demon.  
The demon let out a low growl.

"Do not mess with businesses not your own, boy!" his voice bellowed.  
Jace touched the tip of the sword to his chin. "Oh, so you are only polite to young women then?"

The demon got even angrier, and was launching himself at Jace.  
Jace, unsurprisingly, evaded the blow and was now pointing the sword at the neck of the demon.

"You know, I was saving the first blood this sword would slay for my victim—now you're just going to have to explain to him why he never got to be killed with that honor."

The demon scoffed. "How will I tell him that, boy?" he asked bemusedly.  
Jace smiled. "When you meet him in the underworld."

Jace struck the blade into the demon's throat. It gave out a huge scream, but it was not an immediate victory for Shadowhunter.

The demon turned and pinned Jace to the ground. Jace kicked at him before he could pierce his claws into him. The demon fell back and Jace elbowed his jaw.

The demon scratched at Jace's face, but Jace was too quick. He took the demon's face in his hands and held it.

"You know you demons are tough and sharp—" The demon cried and struggled in Jace's grasp. "But killing you isn't any different from killing a mortal."

And in one move, Jace twisted his neck, and a crack sounded. After that, the demon went still, and evidently, died.

Jace kneeled in front of it before heaving himself up to fetch his blade. He hadn't even released the lantern and he brought it over his clothes to check for any scratches.

There were none.  
Thank angels for that. Isabelle would have killed him if she found out he'd barely spent a day in Alicante and he's already destroyed one of his clothing.

Jace remembered the person whose arm he almost tore off. Jace turned and saw, sitting on the ground and hugging her arms, was a girl.  
Jace wouldn't call her beautiful but there was something about the way she stared at him— wide eyed and all—that made him feel uneasy.

"A small thanks would be nice, lady." Jace told her.  
That was when the girl lost consciousness and with a sigh, Jace took one giant leap and caught her by the waist without effort.

The fire in the lantern made her skin glow, and Jace felt her body go limp.  
Normally, he was not the type to just allow any stranger to sleep on him—but he made an exception this one time.

As he hoisted the girl on both hands, the lantern secured in his left, he figured this girl has seen too much for one night and deserved a good night's sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** Fin! :D Well, for this chapter anyway. :) If you liked it, please leave me a review telling me so! :D I love love love reviews and they basically make me update faster if i know other people want to read this story :)

The next chapter is entitled **Christmas Morning** :) Soon to be posted, i hope!

Before I go, I'd like to post a big thanks to all those who reviewed the previous chapter :D And also to those 7 people who listed The Night Errand as their favorite stories; as well as the 11 who keep it on their alert list :)

[reviewers]

**Jace'n'FangLover **  
**burning.. **  
**Lissa Dragomir101**  
**ellie**  
**xWhite Winged Angelx**  
**paper-fl0wers**  
**BlondeHairBlueEyes14**  
**EvangelineCircleInDaHouse **  
**terri**  
**cooki25 **

**:D 3**


	5. Christmas Morning

**A/N:** Here's an update :D I'm in a good mood right now :D I'm happy and I'm also glad you guys like the story! :) This chapter is called **Christmas Morning** and it begins the day after the demon attack. Eidolon demons are indeed from the City of Bones book :) Remember that blue haired guy in the first chapter? :D I remember him being an Eidolon demon in description. :) Hahaa, anyway I hope you guys like this chapter and please please review me! (You can tell me anything; what you want to happen, what you rant about, whatever whatevers! :D)

I appreciate your insights guys and they help make me create this story world better :)  
Well, *drum roll please*

* * *

**THE NIGHT-ERRAND  
**_/dedicated to City of Bones/_

_

* * *

_

Shadowhunter

Jace woke early that morning, cold. He had given his jacket to the girl to keep her from shivering. She kept mumbling in her sleep, but nothing harmful or anything that would be a sign of trauma.

There were occasions when she'd cough up a word and shift about—then go perfectly still again. Jace was fairly amused by this. He had never seen anyone move so much while they slept before. People in Albatross were like drones—controlled even as they lay at bed.

They slept inside a hollow tree—but it wasn't hollow to begin with, mind you. Jace had used a magical herb to clear out its insides without disrupting its natural balance. Water still flowed from the trunks of the now-hollow tree. Jace could see the life running through its veins and toward the branches. Though there were no leaves at this time, they were sure to grow when spring came.

Life was a beautiful thing—Jace never appreciated people who would wish to end it.

It was dark inside the tree—Jace refused to build a fire inside because it might hurt the the balance of its natural cycle—but he could make out the figure of the girl. She was still huddled up on the ground and asleep.

Jace had gotten his first view of her last night, but he never did remember all the details. He could recall her eyes being wide and green—and when she stared, it was like looking at a baby owl's orbs.  
She had soft hands and her skin was sort of pale-ish.

That was as much as Jace knew about her physical features.

Refusing to admit defeat—as usual—Jace took the lantern beside his makeshift bed (blankets, mostly) and carefully lit it. After the fire was shielded by the glass in it—he stood up and walked closer to her.

The skin on her neck was fair indeed, and her hair was a mass of soft curly red. Jace didn't touch it, but he wanted to.

_'What the hell?' _Jace laughed at himself. Nothing was funny but he just found the thought of touching her hair totally superfluous.

Jace also noted that her dress seemed puffy and complicated underneath the blankets and his jacket. There were several layers of petticoat and Jace found it peculiar how she could still be cold when she was already wearing so much fabric.

_This world just keeps on getting weirder_, he thought.

After that, Jace turned away and decided it was time to fix breakfast. He gathered a few of his weapons from his bag before exiting the entrance hole. The light caught at his eyes, but he didn't flinch. He didn't really have a problem with pain.

Before leaving, Jace set a restraining rune on the tree. Runes were magical symbols with special powers, depending on which one you drew. They don't only work on trees or inanimate objects, but also on people. Often times, assassins in Albatross used them to gain energy quickly after loosing it quickly. Think of it like steroids, except less accessible.

Not just anybody could use runes, after all. You need training and your body needs tuning to adapt to its magical effect. If you are weak—then the magic will over power you and kill you before the mark is even finished being tattooed on your body.

Jace engraved the rune using his stele (another magical implement) and after he was done, a façade of silver flashed across the hole in the tree, and slowly became transparent.

He had only done this precaution thinking that somebody might come inside and take his things.

Oh. And hurt the girl.  
That too.

He nodded. Seeing that the rune was already active, he turned to go do some hunting.

Jace had barely been going around the forest for ten minutes when he spotted a big deer. It was actually a stag. It pricked its ears and sprinted away from Jace but he was faster. Jace lifted himself with ease on top of trees and jumped across one after the other until he was in close range of the deer. As he chased it, he brought out the small dagger he had and when he felt the timing was right, he jumped from the last tree and fell right in front of the animal. It staggered backward, but Jace quickly sliced at its neck and it fell straight away, blood coming out of its body.

Jace wiped the blood from the dagger nonchalantly. He walked toward the fallen beast and held it by its legs. He swung it over his back and triumphantly carried the carcass as he retraced his steps back to the tree.

* * *

Princess

Clary had never been so afraid in her entire life. She couldn't sleep half the night—she even had nightmares about that stranger mercilessly killing innocent kittens.

Clary figured that if that guy could kill that big demon which was twice his size—then he must be ten times as dangerous!

She prayed sometimes, when she was so terrified in the night—she hoped he hadn't heard her mumbling—and she tried very hard to stay still, but she desperately wanted to escape!

Clary was sure he was asleep—perfect time to escape—but every time she shifted about to look at him, she would calculate her odds of outrunning him to be zero to one million!

The guy killed a _demon_! In record time!  
Clary didn't believe demons existed before—and if she did, she would certainly not go and try to prove the theory! But this guy seemed to know what he was doing—he was actually quite calm during the fight and Clary remembered he said something about "killing demons and mortals are the same"

_Oh goodness, this man must be a killer! A runaway from a prison! Or a psychotic person!_ Clary exclaimed in her thoughts.

She wasn't sure what he was—but for certain, she knew without a doubt she was being held captive by a sword wielding lunatic and could be killed the minute she wakes up unless she does something about it!

Clary heard him groan and shuffling sounds filled the darkness.  
He had taken her to a secret cave like place—probably his hide away—to kill her probably and dispose of the evidence quickly!

Clary felt sweat run down her spine; she shivered.  
A thumping sound—the man was walking. The sounds grew closer—he was walking towards her!

Clary held her breath and began praying silently again.

_Dear angels, _

_ If you can hear me; if you bother to answer my call—please, do not let this man kill me now! I saw what he did to that demon and I do not wish to die with the same brutality. I know I deserve a lot of punishments for many wrong, I admit—but please, I don't want to die in this place! Alone! But I suppose you've already made me alone all my life—Now doesn't make much of a difference does it?_

He was carrying a light because the fire set shadows that Clary could see underneath the covers.

_He's going to burn me, then kill me? Or vice versa? I know I haven't been an ideal daughter—but let's face it; my father was never really a father. Well, to me at least. I don't care what happens to me—but please, don't leave my mom with them! My father and Jonathan, I mean! He was never compassionate, and without me there—she'll have no one; no one, I tell you! If you were going to end my life, right now, angels—I accept it. But I pray, from the bottom of my heart, for the people I love and leave behind—mom, simon, simon's dad—please, please, please always look after them._

Clary set closure to her prayer and a tear trickled down her eye. She resisted the urge to wipe it away—she didn't want him to know she was awake.

The guy laughed—it was an airy and humorless laugh—and then the shadows cast by the flame disappeared. Clary was befuddled.  
She heard the footsteps go farther and she heard clanking of what sounded like metal against metal.

Then gradually, the thumping of his feet faded, and silence was dominant once again. Clary peeked from the covers and saw his back figure retreating into the forest.

He was leaving!

Clary heaved a giant sigh, and whispered to the heavens a silent Thank You.  
Abruptly she stood only to be held back by a searing pain in her arms. Clary saw it was indeed daylight, and she was inside a hollow stump.

There was one gaping hole where she saw the guy go into the forest—and she figured it to be her ticket out. She checked at her arms and saw scratches deeply set in them. They were probably from the demon that attacked her countless times last night.

Nevertheless, Clary stood up and the blankets dropped to the ground, and so did something black. She winced to decipher what it was—it appeared to be leather, but it looked shinier and glossier than the leather she's seen in market places. Just by imagining what creature it used to belong to sent her trembling.

Clary didn't bother cleaning up—she made a break for the outside, but she got pushed back by the air itself.

Clary lay on the ground again, thinking, _this psycho must be a witch!  
It was definitely witch craft! Why else would thin air push her 5 feet backward?_

If Clary wasn't in a life threatening situation, she would have found this new knowledge of magical beings fascinating. But she was running out of time.  
Clary searched the small area, looking for any device which might aid her. Her eye caught something shiny.

It was the sword the guy used on the creature last night. It was perched on the wall. Clary walked over and held it up. Attempted to. It was pretty heavy.

"I see you're awake."

Clary's heart sped to miles you could not fathom. Suddenly the sword became as light as a feather, and with her best brave face—Clary turned to look at a very shocked possible-mass-murderer-on-the-run.

Doing something to bold was a result of panic, Clary now realized. What good would a sword do in a fight with this guy? He knew things. He could do near impossible stunts and what could a little princess like her do against that? Cower and grovel for mercy, that was the rational thing to do.

But Clary would never stoop to something as cowardly as that.

He walked slowly around her. The light caught at his face, and Clary saw her captive for the scum that he is.

What Clary didn't expect was for this scum to look so… _pretty_.

It was an odd description to describe a guy but he had blonde hair… fair skin… lean body…  
Clary thought he looked like a prince, but when she got to his eyes, she was almost electrocuted.

They were golden and luminous—it was like shards of glass were pierced in his eyes, and it sent shimmering diamonds dancing across his pupils.

But that was just the poetic version of saying he looked very pissed off.

His eyes flashed from her and then to the sword. He had a bemused expression on his face.  
Clary noticed there was something hanging on his back, and when he dropped it to the ground, she gasped. It was a dead deer.

She held the hilt of sword tighter. "S-stay away…" Her voice only came out as a squeak.

"What are you planning to do with that?" His voice sounded low and dangerous, and Clary was scared out of her wits.

"Not that it'll do you any good though," he spat. "It doesn't work for just anyone."  
Clary got taken aback by that—she held the sword closer to her face to examine it. IT didn't look any special from a regular sword—but a little bit fancier.

Then suddenly, a wave of air swooped in front of her and before she could process anything, the guy was already centimeters from her, holding the sword by the hilt as well. Their hands were almost touching.

Clary looked up—he was inches taller—and his eyes were burning in the soft glow of the light; Mesmerizing… but dangerous.

"Didn't think you'd fall for that so easily," There was a wicked spark to his eyes and Clary was so overwhelmed by their complexity she felt herself turning pink.

"I-I don't want your sword." Clary stared back with a brave expression. _So help me gods_, she thought.

"Oh?" he said. He pulled the sword toward him, now both their hands rested above his chest.

Clary pulled it back, and then looked him in the eyes and said, "I'm not letting you kill me."

"Who said you'd have a say in my decisions, hm?"  
Ok, so he may be slightly handsome—but his character was nothing near nice. Clary was really starting to dislike him rather than fear him.

"It's my life—I do have a say in it." she spat back.  
His brow rose up and his lip quirked.

"You really think I'm going to kill you when I actually saved you from that Eidolon demon—then even lent you my jacket and a place to stay?"

He released the hilt and took a step back. Whatever possessed Clary made her take the sword and point it at his neck. He smiled, oddly.

"You're welcome."

"Wait… you called that thing…an…eye-doe…"  
"Eidolon."  
"Yeah." She pointed the sword closer to him. He raised his hands in what appeared to be a gesture of surrender, but she didn't buy it. "What is that?"

"It's a type of magical elf."  
Disliking him was now an understatement. Clary _loathed_ this man.  
"You are really not a nice person."

"Oh, well, sorry for _not_ getting you breakfast, and _not_ saving you from a shape shifting demonic entity." His sarcasm only made her even more angry. He turned away from her, and began slicing the dead deer.

He had a small knife with him , but he hadn't used it on her. Yet.

Clary's rage lowered, and the grip on the sword wasn't as hard as before. The guy was annoying—and mean, and sarcastic, and a many number of cursing words—but he was trustworthy, that Clary could tell.

Call her insane, but Clary dropped the sword and he turned halfway to look at her.

"I'm not going to serve you your food, you know. You slice your own piece of deer." he said then he went back to slicing.

Clary walked around him—making sure there was a little distance between them. She knelt at the opposite side of the deer as him, and he held out his hand.

Clary held out hers and he dropped something on it.  
It was a small knife.

"Now, you could either stab me with that thing—or you could stab this stag and get some food in you. Take your pick."  
He then got absorbed in slicing the skin off of the deer and taking out its insides.

"I have to eat it raw?" Clary asked, feeling barbaric.

Jace looked at her. "You have a better idea?"  
"You can build a fire outside and roast it from there."  
"I'll build a fire?" he asked, a slight change in his tone. He sounded as if he was actually enjoying himself.

"I can't get out." Clary admitted. She would leave out the part about the witch craft—something in Clary made her think that accusing him of another thing would be too embarrassing.

"Ah," He nodded understandingly. He then stood up. "Restraining rune."  
"Ahah! So it is witch craft!" Clary covered her mouth quickly. She had not realized she had said that out loud.

He looked at her with a very amused expression. Clary wanted to so badly to crawl in a hole and die right now—then she remembered she _was_ in a hole, and minutes ago, she did believe she was going to die, and she felt even more of a wreck.

The world didn't make sense anymore!

"What other tales has your mind been concocting about me?" he said.  
"Excuse me, sir… but I hardly know you well enough to know stories about you." Clary added acidly.

"You must think I'm attractive then." He said loudly, since he was already outside.  
"Don't get cocky, you- you…" Clary stood up angrily and rushed to the opening. The wind pushed her back again, and she fell on top of the deer.

She heard his laughter from outside.

"Ah, no gratitude has its price." Clary heard him say. She struggled to sit up, and she glared at him furiously from where she stayed.  
He looked arrogant and he sounded one too—Clary couldn't begin to think of the means by which she would strangle him.

"Will you cut the deer already? I'm making the fire, so be a good 'captive' and slice the meat for your 'captor'" He was obviously mocking her.

Clary let out a low growl but obeyed. It wasn't until later that they finally got to eat. Him eating outside by the fire— and her facing him from inside the hole in the tree.

"So magic prevents anyone from going in or out?"  
"Yeah." They dug in to the roasted meat some more.  
"Then how come you can go in and out as you please?" Clary demanded.  
"I put a rune on myself to allow it. Like a V.I.P pass,"  
"V.I.P?" Clary was astounded by the word.

He barked in laughter. "Forget it."

Clary took a bite out of her deer.  
"Do those runes help the injured too?" she asked.

He kept silent, and then nodded at her. "But I wouldn't apply them to yourself if I were you." When Clary looked confused, he added, "Your body wasn't trained to accept the magic of runes. You could die with just one stroke of the stele on your—"

"Stele?"  
Jace sighed. "It's another magical thing."  
"What does it do?" Clary was genuinely interested now. She even set her food aside to listen.  
"You know, you are very talkative." He said before chomping down what was left of his meal.

Clary pouted as he stood up and killed the fire.  
He moved toward the entrance, and said, "Move over."  
Clary obeyed—hesitantly—and he proceeded to sit a few meters away from her.  
They were silent, then Clary said, "What's your name?"

He turned to her, a teasing look in those eyes again.  
"How quickly you think of me as harmless. A few hours ago, you believed me to be very dangerous and deadly—now I'm sitting here beside you and you ask for my name as if I'm some sort of traveling companion?"

"You fed me. You must have some good in your heart."  
The answer was innocent, and Clary admitted—impromptu. But he looked shocked and something in his eyes flickered for a second. Then it went away.

The snow outside was still on the ground, and Clary could see the air he breathed out frosting.  
He turned to look at the pile of ash and bones where the fire used to be.

"I'm a blacksmith apprentice. I'm traveling to Alicante to trade metals." He said solemnly.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks so much for the lovely people who reviewed CHapter 4! :D  
People like **EvangelineCircleInDaHouse**,** claceshipper**, **magic noctum**, **BlondeHairBlueEyes14**, **Alice**, **Lissa Dragomir101**, **Jace'n'FangLover** (haha you are special ;)), **burningximpossiblyxbright** (sorry in the last note only **burning**... showed up. :( Stupid ffnet made the other words go awaay! :)), **XWhite Winged AngelX**, and **Princess Kitana18** (I hope I havent let you down by posting this update ;) You asked so nicley, and you even offered me a cherry! hahaha :))  
~This update is for you guys! :) *gives love*

Pending Next chapter is called **The Companion **:)  
You'll find out why soon :) heehee


	6. The Companion

**A/N:** **The Companion Part 2 **was something I totally didnt see coming :) Okay, so this chapter is **The Companion part 1**. The next chapter is not the new chapter yet~ but is the continuation of this one (which I'm still trying to compress.)

**THe entire The COmpanion Part 2 (to be posted) is only set In Shadowhunter's POV**. It's basically just a part of this chapter that I couldnt fit into this chapter. :(

If I posted the entire chapter in one update~it would look too long and you guys wouldnt be able to appreciate the points of the story I emphasize :( So I decided to post the first major happening in the chapter in this update~ then the second major event in another chapter which will be entitled the same name. :)

NOTE: Both chapters will be named **The Companion**! just in case you guys get confused ;)

* * *

**THE NIGHT-ERRAND  
**_/dedicated to City of Bones/_

_

* * *

_

Princess

"So what's it like being a blacksmith's apprentice?"  
"Boring— now will you please shut up?"

It was already in the middle of the afternoon—time seemed to have passed by so fast. Clary had been so absorbed in the many questions she'd been asking the guy, she hadn't realized the sun had gone down!

She sat daintily on his jacket to prevent dirt from getting on her dress; he was lying on his back, with his eyes closed, facing the wall.

"You know," Clary said with an edge in her voice. "You could _try_ to be a little bit nicer."  
"And lose my charm? Hardly, girl." he replied.

Clary felt her blood boil. She stood up and said, "I do not appreciate it when you reply with such sarcasm to anything I say. I do not appreciate it when you _scowl_ and brood like you're doing _right now_. And I certainly do not appreciate it when you address me with names so degrading such as _girl_."

He didn't say anything, but when he flipped himself to look at her, Clary saw that his brows were knotted together, and he looked fairly annoyed.

"I'm tired." He stated simply.  
"I'm tired too," Clary spat, "of your bad attitude."

He looked at her for a moment, and then got to his feet silently. He measured her with his eyes, and Clary glared back.  
They were both just standing there, staring at each other, when a loud cracking sound filled the surroundings.  
He was first to react. He sprinted towards the entrance hole, grabbing his sword in the process.

"Hey, wait!" Clary ran after him but as soon as she reached the hole, the magic of the runes took effect and she fell back ten meters.

He stopped midway outside, and turned to look at her sprawled figure. He grinned.  
"Keep hidden, and keep quiet. It'll save more than my patience, you know—it might even save your life."  
Then he turned and ran into the forest. Clary's eyes chased after him, but not once did he look back.

* * *

Shadowhunter

In all honesty, Jace did feel bad for being mean to her—but he had already revealed too much information about the magical world; much more information than he was comfortable with.

He was lucky he was even able to lie to her about his real identity—though it took him a tremendous amount of effort to do so. He couldn't even look her in the eyes when he did it.

Jace didn't understand why—and this made him irritable. He didn't know what was so special about her, or what made him tell her so many things truths about magic.

If any other situation, not even the most brutal inquisitor who threatens to chop his head off would be able to dig up anything from him… but when this annoying, talkative, and naïve girl comes and bats her eyes—her big green eyes— at him, he cracks and begins to dish about the many facts of steles, runes, and magical deities. For the first time in his life, he'd felt _weak_.

She was a _distraction_ for him, and coupled with the fact the girl couldn't seem to stay silent for an hour—Jace slowly began to come to a realization that he didn't just hate this girl. He _loathed_ her.

Her very interaction with his life was delaying his mission. He was already behind schedule—but he couldn't leave her alone because though he was an assassin, he was a proper gentleman.

And a gentleman doesn't leave a lady alone in the woods—no matter how much he wanted to strangle her.

He was happy to be far away from her as possible. When he was near her, it gave her more opportunities to get information out of him—he wouldn't allow it.

But as night fell on the forest while he ran through it, he couldn't help worrying if she was still inside the tree, safe and pissed at him. (Oddly, the thought of it made him smile)

Jace made a swift swerve to dodge a tree, he hadn't noticed had been in his path. The girl was even making it hard for him to concentrate.

He scowled for the nth time that day, and concentrated on the mission. He had to find out where that sound came from, and what made it.

In the back of Jace's mind, he felt a sort of static surge through him—this was his instinct. Albatross assassins were taught to have superior sense of hearing which probably explains how Jace was able to trace the location of the sound after only hearing it once.

It guided him through the woods and through different twists and turns as he focused on followed his trail—and all this led him to a small dirt road.

Jace didn't bring any light, but he took out his witchlight, a delightful stone that he liked using as a substitute. It glowed brightly, and shadowed areas began taking form.  
Jace's eyes widened.

In the middle of the path was what appeared to be 6 dead horses, still attached to a broken down carriage. Now what are the odds of finding that in a lonely highway intersection?

Jace approached it cautiously. His instincts told him this was the place where the sound came from.

Jace passed by the rotting horses to the main carriage door. It was completely trashed. He flashed the witchlight inside, searching for anything—but nothing was in there.  
Jace took a step back and something caught at his feet.

Jace went alert, and used his other foot to kick it. It moaned in pain, and Jace hovered his light to the ground—he saw a bleeding man holding his hand to his heart, wincing.

Jace bent down to inspect the guy's wounds, and he winced too. Major cuts in major areas. A long slash was across his chest and thighs. The kind of wounds only demons could make—Jace figured either that Eidolon had friends, or he'd had an early entertainment session before he decided to go after the girl.

"P-please—" The man stuttered. His lips looked blue from frostbite.  
Jace looked at his clothing and sighed. _Sorry Izzy.  
_He ripped a portion from its hem and tied it around the guy's chest to prevent any more blood loss.

Jace then took the witchlight and let the guy hold it with both hands.

"It's warm." he said "It'll help."  
The man looked like he wanted to argue, but he obeyed. "P-please—"  
"Yeah, yeah. Hold your horses." Jace slung one of his arms around his own and held him up.

The man shifted himself so much Jace was having a hard time carrying him.  
"Hey! Stop moving so much—you're going to get hurt. Much more than you already are." he said, but the man kept on moving restlessly.

Jace grunted. "What is your problem? I'm trying to help you here!"  
The man let out a small moan, and weakly lifted his hand toward the horses.  
"P-parcel—i-important—f-for King—i-idiot." He pointed angrily toward a horse, and Jace walked toward it, ignoring the last word he said being _idiot_.

Jace set him down so he could turn over the animal, and underneath its carcass was indeed a small cylindrically shaped container.

Jace took it and examined it. It had cool carvings and it seemed to be made of emerald. The top part of the cylinder looked sealed—something was probably inside it. But if there was, then it must have been very light because the parcel couldn't have exceeded a kilo.

A crashing sound came behind him and he wasn't surprised to see the man had lost consciousness. Jace couldn't help feeling respect for the guy—he survived a freezing night with an intense injury just so he could protect a small thing for his king.

This king was a lucky man, he thought.

Jace tucked the parcel in his pocket; sighing, he carried the man on his back. The moon welcomed the night, and as Jace was walking back to the tree, more parts of the forest got lost in shadows. When he was a few feet away from the entrance hole, Jace couldn't help but look at his companion who was sitting in front of it, waiting. Jace wasn't at all comfortable with the way his heart seemed to leap in response to her presence.

Jace smiled brazenly at her, and she stuck her tongue out. This made him laugh. She looked at him, then at the man on her back, and—to Jace's surprise—her features softened.

"Simon—I totally forgot about him!" Jace heard her exclaiming when he was well in earshot.  
"You're lucky he's asleep, or that would've seriously hurt his feelings." Jace said back to her. He came inside the tree and set 'Simon' down on the floor.  
"I'm going to ignore that." she stated coldly, but her eyes were told a different story. Jace noticed how her lips parted in an expression of deep concern. Her eye brows weren't knotted together anymore, and she looked happy—she looked happy to see this man.

Jace scowled again.  
"I take it you know him." he said.

She was kneeling on the ground beside him and she was checking at the deep cut on his chest. The girl nodded distractedly, and then she looked up at him with her big eyes full of worry.

"He needs to go to a hospital!" She told him, pleadingly. Jace had to use all of his strength to look unmoving.

"He was lighting a flare I expect. Stupid and smart move that is; Stupid, because other beasts might find pretty lights attracting and pounce on you while your defenses are down—but smart, because I was able to find him before he could've died of either massive blood loss or frostbite." Jace looked at his shirt, mourning the day he'd came home with it.

"Well, if I might say, all your efforts would've been pointless if he dies right here! So do you know if there are any hospitals close by?"  
"You must be joking—" When she didn't reply, he said, "You live here don't you?—don't you know where places are… and where they aren't?"  
"I've never been outside Alicante." she said silently. "I don't know how to go around anywhere other than what's inside it."  
Jace turned to fix his blankets. "Well, that's your problem now."

"What?" She rose from the floor and yelled.  
"Look, I've already helped you ok? I'll take away the rune from the tree so you can leave—but your friend is your responsibility now. I have things to do. I cant be delayed any longer." Jace stated like he was giving an ultimatum. She looked at him with unbelieving eyes and her mouth was hanging wide open.

"You can't just leave an injured man here in the middle of nowhere—to die!" she yelled at him.  
"If I were you—I'd be much more concerned over my own life before I decide to leave this hole." Jace slung his bag on his shoulder and took his sword from the ground.

She was still staring at him. Jace didn't know what else to say, but then he remembered something.

"Oh right!" He took out the seemingly weightless sitem from his pocket and tossed it at her. She didn't catch it, so it fell right to the ground. "Your friend was trying to protect that. Thought you might want to… what's the word? Oh yeah—not let his efforts go in vain."

When she said nothing, Jace nodded and turned to leave the hole. But something she said caught his attention, and made him stop on his tracks.

"I couldn't care less about the king. But—But Simon was my friend." Her voice was quaked, and Jace had a sinking feeling inside him that she was holding back tears.

Jace dared turning around, and he didn't like what he saw. Her eyes were fixated on him—but streaming tears fell from them, and she didn't bother wiping them off. Her lip quivered and Jace was now feeling very very _very_ bad.  
This girl would be the death of him.

"You don't know how it feels like to not have friends!" Jace was taken aback by her accusation. "Simon is the only one I have. I'm not going to lose him. And if it means going out there again and mindlessly roaming around in circles in the forest—then I'll do it."

She kneeled beside him again and Jace felt a pang of jealousy hit him. Annoying this girl may be—but she would be willing to risk her life and die for her friend. If Jace had just one friend who loved him that much—he would actually have something to live for. He'd have something to come back to.

"I know what it feels like." Jace said quietly. She stopped moving and looked at him. Her eyes were now dry, but they were puffy.

"I…" Jace began but he bit his tongue. What was going on with him? Telling her about the facts of magical entities was one thing—but his personal life was totally separate.  
Jace was telling himself how stupid that would be—how reckless, tactless, dumb, and pointless it would be.

"I only have a few people I could trust in my life. Only a few people I'd care enough to die for. But sometimes—there are things you need to deal with on your own. You can't take these people with you—it's as if life is pushing you into seclusion, you know? Sometimes, I can't find myself to trust them with my life because I've learned to rely on nobody but myself for too long." Jace wasn't looking at her when he said this—he chose a spot on Simon's arm that seemed to bruise in a purple-ish color.

There was silence inside the hole. Jace was fidgety and he was mentally kicking himself for telling—yet again—another piece of classified information to a stranger. She won the battle _again_.

"Well—I best be on my way now." Jace turned away again. The embarrassment was too much. He began making big strides out of the hole when she stopped him.

"Wait!" Jace felt her hand press on his back. He stayed still and so did she. Neither knew how to react to this physical contact. She coughed audibly, and put her hand down. Jace turned to look at her and again there was tension.

They were standing a few meters apart but Jace swore he could feel her heart beat.  
"What is it?" Jace said, neutrally. He had practice when it came to putting up glamour over his emotions.  
She however, had not. "Please help me, Big Meanie guy" She looked as if her entire pride was drained out of her when she begged. Jace's spirit was lightened at her misery.

Also, her little nick name for him was quite cute. _Big Meanie guy._

"And what do I get in return, _Annoying Talkative girl_?" he said.

Jace caught her lip twitch but she maintained a composed poise.  
"Gratitude,"  
Jace smiled charmingly. "Actually, I was thinking—what if…" He put on a naughty smirk but when he tried to box her in, she held up her hand in front of his face.

"Gratitude," she repeated. "and I promise you'll get to meet the top blacksmith in Alicante."

Jace was about as lost as an orange in an apple farm—he was wondering what on earth she was talking about, but then he remembered that he had told her he was a blacksmith apprentice—on his way to Alicante to trade metals.

Jace took a step back and appeared to consider it.  
"How do you plan on doing that?"

Annoying Talkative girl smiled—she thought to have caught his interest—and said, "He," She pointed at Simon. "is the blacksmith's… uhm, nephew. They're very close and I could introduce you to him."

"What makes his uncle's metals better than other traders I might come across?" Jace asked.  
"Oh come on—don't play dumb with me." _Oh so now I'm the one who was dumb? _Jace thought to himself, humorously.

"I know by your sword—that you aren't a traveling trader—"  
Jace was careful. No way could this girl piece together the puzzles of his identity—there was no way. Was there?

"You're obviously only interested in the Mortal Sword!"

Jace, was once again, lost. But as the night went on, Clary began explaining more of her deal with him. The Mortal sword was the exact description that bartender at the pub had defined. A sword so sharp it could cut through trees in one go. This only interested Jace a little bit—but what really caught his attention was how Clary would be able to get him inside the palace.

His victim resided there. Jace didn't know what his victim looked like, or what the name was—what he did know was that it was one of the royal family members.

Jace didn't like to think about it that much but he had to accept it if he was going to make it an easy and clean kill—his victim would be the Princess of Alicante herself.

Now Jace didn't know who would want to kill her, but from what he's learned from these monarch types—he thought it to be either a jealous lady in waiting, or an ex fiancé with a vengeance.

Jace brushed the complications off—and listened to Annoying Talkative girl elaborate. She offered to help him get into the castle if he'd help her get her friend to a hospital.

"You seem to know a lot about the happenings inside the castle." Jace began to think she might be a household help or a worker's daughter. How else would she have met the blacksmith's son?

"The old bat mutters about it so much—and so loudly—sometimes, he forgets other people are around."  
One thing Jace could tell was that Annoying Talkative girl didn't like the king at all.

"Are you close with the King?" _She was a personal servant? An illegal child, maybe?  
_She smiled. "No."  
"Ok then. I think it'd be interesting to see this sword for myself…" _and get to his victim, finish the job, and go home and take a nap_, Jace thought happily.

"I accept your offer, Annoying Talkative one."  
She looked up at him with a playful look in those green eyes. "When did I get upgraded from _girl_ to _Annoying Talkative girl_?"  
He outstretched a hand to her and she mirrored the action. But her hand was fisted, except for her pinky which was sticking out.  
Jace looked at her confusedly. Her smile broadened. "Pinky swear!"  
Jace's mouth dropped open.

"You're kidding me?"

Jace eventually did do a pinky swear with her—much to his dislike. A mere shaking of hands would suffice.  
Jace may have agreed to help her bring Simon to a safe place where he could be cared for—but that didn't mean he couldn't piss her off some more while he did so.

The next morning, he woke her up really early so they could begin their journey. Jace told her he planned on bringing him to a pub he knew—the only one he knew—and they could ask for assistance from the local folk there.  
She was too tired to complain or talk and Jace thought he should do this more often.

"Tired already, annoying one?" Jace asked her somewhere in the middle of their journey.  
"Not yet, mean one."  
This made Jace laugh at that time. He was the one hoisting Simon over his back yet he didn't seem to tire. He's carried heavier.

Finally, they reached the pub. It was made of logs and it looked like a big log cabin. Jace approached the front door and knocked twice. They were welcomed by the same bartender Jace had fooled. The man said he remembered Jace and offered to let them rest in the inn upstairs. The bartender asked his wife to take Simon and tend to his wounds.

While they were lounging upstairs, Annoying Talkative girl was striking conversation with the bartender's daughter. Jace watched her from the other room.

But watching her smile and laugh like that—Jace felt this compelling urge to stay.

* * *

**A/N:**

Pending Next chapter is called **The Companion **:)


	7. The Companion pt 2

**A/N:** **The Companion part 2 **guys! :D Hope you like this! It's just an excess part of the chapter before it. I have a problem with writing really long chapters. I did my best to lose the unnecessary stuff :)

Thank you so much for the wonderful people who reviewed **Christmas Morning and The Companion (pt. 1) **chapters :D

I want to let you guys know you rock~ :D *glittertastic  
Anyway, important note: **School is coming closer :(( so i may only be able to update on weekends. :) **I know you all want to know what happens next (i love cliffhangers so yeah hahaha :))) but im asking for your patience and what not :) I hope to post a chapter during the days when im not busy~which is on weekends :D

IS that ok with you guys? :) If The Night Errand is on your Alert list, then it's ok since you'll know when i post a new chap anyway :D IT's all good ;)

* * *

**THE NIGHT-ERRAND  
**_/dedicated to City of Bones/_

_

* * *

_

Shadowhunter

The bartender broke Jace out of his reverie.  
"Would you like a drink, son?" he asked but Jace declined.  
"I'd like to go down to have some air, if you don't mind." Jace said.

"Don't worry about it, son—the bar's still closed. You can have as much alone time as you need. I'll take care of your friend over there." He was talking about Simon. Jace could hardly call him a friend since their only moment of bonding was when Jace was carrying his unconscious form across the forest.

"Yeah. We're really sorry to have bothered you guys like this so early in the morning." Jace apologized.  
"Ah, don't worry about it, son—my Emma loves your little girlfriend there."  
Jace's vein throbbed. "She isn't my girlfriend." he said with much acid in his voice.  
"Oh?" The bartender was dense, thus he didn't understand he depth of Jace's dislike for the girl. "You two seem to like each other a lot."

Again, he was dense.

Before Jace could defend himself, the bartender's wife called for him.  
"Oh! Hear the wife calling." He winked at Jace. "Take care of yourself kid."

Something about the way the guy seemed to take fondness in making him feel uncomfortable made Jace think he and Wolf might've been brothers separated at birth.

Jace snuck a single glance at Annoying Talkative girl as she played with the bartender's daughter, Emma, before slipping off downstairs.

Indeed, the bar was still empty. Jace went to sit on a bar stool. It was probably too early to open yet; Jace noticed that the bottles of alcohol were lined up according to size.

Nothing made a sound, and Jace was completely alone.

Jace fiddled with a small dagger he kept with him always, just in case. A word seemed to bother him. _Girlfriend._

People in Albatross weren't really into relationships— Magnus and Alec being one of the few exceptions. But Jace wasn't inexperienced in the field of dating.

But that was pretty much as far as he got. Jace wasn't really good with long term commitment. His job didn't allow him to have any permanent ties, after all.

Jace was still thinking about that when the wine glasses began shaking. Jace went rigid instantly. He had a big feeling this was no earthquake.

The shaking became worse, and the bottles of alcohol began falling off the counter and crashing on the floor. Jace stood up, and took out a sword from his back. The ceiling fan fell to the floor as well. A screeching sound filled the area—it was so shrill that several wine glasses and mirrors broke. Jace covered his ears and he winced. Something began to materialize in front of him. It began flashing different colors, and takes the form of one shining and luminous rectangle. Jace had to close his eyes to prevent being blinded.

The shaking stopped, and everything was still and quiet again. Jace opened his eyes, and immediately, something sharp was pointed at his neck.

Jace was surprised, but he had fast reflexes. He bit the sword and flicked it out of the holder's grasp. It fell several meters from them, and before the holder could make a break for it—Jace held him by the face and smashed his head to the floor. The floorboards made a cracking sound.

Jace stood up to look at the holder, but he was kicked in the stomach. _This guy survived that?_ Jace was amazed.  
"Shadowhunter," The holder's voice was familiar. "Laxing on the job, huh?"  
Jace turned his golden eyes to his deep grey ones. Jace knew this guy.

"What are you doing here Spade? What are you doing out of Albatross?" Spade was from the 2nd squad—the 2nd best in rank assassins. He specialized in daggers and close range damage. That explains the dagger by Jace's throat awhile ago. He had three other people in his squad—a girl who mastered potions and specialized in poison; a big guy who feels no pain and has teeth as sharp as jagged metal; and a guy who always sported a hoodie that had the ability to suck out your life force and make you do anything he wanted if you were close to him. But Spade was without his companions today.

"My business is only between me and The Voice, Shadowhunter. But…" There was a playful and mocking tone in his voice. "Word around Albatross right now is number one assassin—the infamous Shadowhunter—is starting a rebellion by keeping his victim alive and well."

Jace didn't understand what the hell Spade was saying. He kept eye contact with him, and his sword was still pointed to Spade's chest. Spade laughed when Jace didn't reply.

"Oh, Shadowhunter—I've been waiting for this day for so long. Finally—it's our turn to take the throne of number one!" Spade exclaimed to the heavens.

"You think it's an honor to be named a top assassin?" Jace asked him, his heart breaking.  
Spade laughed again. "I was wrong about you, Shadowhunter. You really are a funny man."

Spade lunged at him, three daggers in each hand. Jace evaded easily, and he slashed the guy's back. Spade let out a low growl and threw one dagger towards Jace. It hit his shirt, but that was all. Jace was already running for the kill when he heard Spade mumble, "She isn't even pretty— but her eyes, well, they're a keeper."

Jace slowed down, and Spade took the opportunity to puncture his shoulder with a dagger. Jace yelled in pain and in one aggrieved move, he slashed Spade by the chest. Both men fell back.

Jace got up, clutching his shoulder. He walked over to Spade, and grabbed him by the clothes—totally ignoring the pain. The truth was already unraveling itself, but Jace wanted to hear it for himself.

"The Princess—the one I'm going to kill—she's in Alicante isn't she?" Jace demanded Spade's dying form.  
Spade said, "No, Shadowhunter." Then he laughed an airy laugh. "Princess Clarissa is right here in this bar, as we speak."

Jace slammed Spade's body on the floor. Spade coughed out blood.

"The Voice sent you here to do my job?"  
"No," Spade's grey eyes were beginning to lose focus. "He sent me to remind you of it."

"Big Meanie!" Jace slipped his hands on Spade's neck and twisted so hard, he could have dislocated Spade's entire skull. He turned halfway to meet those green eyes—they were filled with awe and fear.

He didn't move from where he stood, even as she came closer. She was only a foot from him when he said, "You never thanked me when I saved you last night, now that I recall."

She smiled, and Jace's hands felt numb. She reached out to touch his uninjured arm, and said, "Thank you." She smiled gratefully at him.

Jace turned to face her now, and he came to many realizations. She wasn't a household help; she wasn't a daughter of a household help. The reason she could assure him of getting into the castle in Alicante was because—was because…

"Clarissa."  
Annoying Talkative girl's smile faded. She let go of his arm.

"Princess of—"  
"Shush!" She hushed him. "How did you know my name, Big Meanie guy?" she stipulated.

Jace continued to stare at her. He remembered wanting to touch her hair. He remembered how much he loathed and hated the girl; how her very existence in his life made it difficult for him to focus on more important matters; how she had ran towards him for help that one fateful night… and how she looked at him as somebody with a good heart.

"It's not fair!" he heard her complain. "You know me now! You're such a—"  
Jace took her hand and pushed her onto the nearest wall. The collision made a small 'thug' sound and he heard her gasp.  
Jace pointed the blade, still dirty with blood, at her heart.

Her eyes were wider than ever, and she asked, "W-what are you—"

She looked so innocent, so young and she was filled with so many things to say. Jace imagined pushing the sword into her, killing her, then holding her dead body in his arms. Then he imagined her sitting in that room, laughing and playing with a little girl again and he began to hate himself more than he already did. He realized he hated what he was and what he did. Albatross had made him a killer—a murderer—a taker of lives. She was innocent and anyone who would want to end a pure—slightly annoying—life such as hers deserved to have his soul rot in hell.

Jace had never got to know any of his victims until now.  
"Big Meanie?"

He began to wake up from his thoughts. Jace looked at her and saw her eyes staring back at him. But there was no fear, nor shock in them. She looked at him the way she looked at her friend Simon—her eyes big and worried-like, her brows curving downward.

Jace had only realized he had pushed himself off of her and dropped his weapon when he heard it make a sound.  
They stood there, a few feet apart, for awhile when she said, "You were going to kill me—why did you stop?"

Jace felt himself smile. Despite the confusion his mind gave him, this girl's awkward and direct questions gave him condolence.

He couldn't resist her again—so he told her the truth.  
"I've grown rather fond of you."

Then several truths follow. He tells her about the deceased man and how he knew him. He told her about them going to the same place. But most importantly, Jace told her the truth about who he was, and his life. He told her that she shouldn't worry because he wasn't going to do his job and kill her—yet.

But when all was exposed, Princess Clarissa—Annoying Talkative girl— had only one thing to say to Jace.

Her eyes were big and animated. "So you're _not_ a blacksmith's apprentice?"

Jace wasn't sure where this decision would take him—but he'd made up his mind. Yeah, he would keep her alive for now.

* * *

**A/N:**

Lousy update, i know~ but this was just excess crap :) hee hee  
Thank you so much to my reviewers :D Stupid ffnet is being mean and my review page isnt showing...so i cant post your names here! :(  
But anyway, the next chapter is called **Betrayal & Blood **and it'll be for you guys :D

Review if you liked this story, and if you want me to continue :) If you have any questions, dont hesitate to ask. :) Ima just PM you the answers :D hahaha

**sleeper102, PinoyLove , Coraline olivin, LOLhaily, ortonga99, lolo14998, tbaby13, oxlifexo, claceshipper, EvangelineCircleInTheHouse, burningximpossiblyxbright, xWhite Winged Angelx, BlondeHairBlueEyes14, and Lissa Dragomir101 **are some who reviewed the last 2 chapters :D

You guys rock my Jace flavored world! :D *yay*


	8. Betrayal & Blood

**A/N:** **Betrayal & Blood **chapter is here! :D I'd love to write another chapter sooner for you guys~ but sadly school starts on the 15th...and Im afraid i dont have any time to do it on weekdays. I promise an update on weekends though, so please watch out for that :) Thank you so much for the people who keep it on their alert lists and favorites :) I love you guys!

Also, I'd like to point out to you guys that if you like the story, please review! :D I appreciate those who review me because I take your comments as constructive and if possible, I would give all of you Jace flavored cookies... but I wouldnt know where to find any :))

Here's the new chapter guys, hope you like it! :)

* * *

**THE NIGHT-ERRAND  
**_/dedicated to City of Bones/_

_

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_

Shadowhunter

Jace couldn't stop thinking about Spade.  
After hearing the noise downstairs, the bartender had come down, a racket at hand. Obviously, he had no use for it now, so he threw it aside.  
Spade had mentioned that The Voice had not sent him there to do take over Jace's mission—but to remind him of it._ What the hell was that supposed to mean?_

The bartender's face looked pale and ready to throw up when he approached them and saw the dead body lying on his floor. And despite Jace's assurance that it was fine, he called to his wife to keep Emma safely away.

Jace offered to clean the mess up before the pub opened—which was the least he could do after destroying half of it (broken floor boards, broken glasses, broken mirrors.) He looked back at the princess who stared at her fingers, blankly.

"Go upstairs." She uncharacteristically obeyed. Jace chose not to think about what would happen for them next. Obviously, everything would just lead to her death—if he followed orders, and killed her.

Jace wasn't only reluctant on doing that but also a little bit defiant. And while he was wiping blood stains off the wooden floor, he couldn't deny to himself anymore that betraying orders was the best feeling of freedom he's had in years.

But there was no way he'd be welcomed back to Albatross—not after deliberately killing a fellow assassin, and even if Jace did know Clarissa was the one he saved last night—he wouldn't have let her be fed to that Eidolon—would he?  
Jace punched the floor. The bartender made a shocked squeak.

He'd been heartless, mean, and unforgivable his whole life. All he's ever done as an achievement was complete a murder mission; all he's done up till no was destroy lives or end them… without a cause; without a complaint.

It was like waking up from a nasty dream, the way this girl—Princess Talks A lot—made him realize how horrible he really was. Now Jace wasn't so confident that it would be to his advantage.

The bartender then casually brings up that the said girl really seemed to be worried about Simon. "The kid is still alive, but he isn't awake yet."  
Something inside Jace shattered. If she was royalty and she was friends with a commoner—then this guy must be very special to her.

"Ok," Jace slammed the rag onto the floor. "All clean." He didn't know where the rage came from but the bartender only laughed as a response.

Jace simply brushed it off as nerves—he had a lot to worry about after all—and the bartender was kind enough to let them spend the night in the inn.

During business hours, they helped serve drinks to customers and wash dishes—as a form of payment.

The next day the bartender woke Jace up at 3:30 in the morning with a look of relief in his old face.

"Your friend—he is awake!" He meant Simon. Jace felt like he was hardly the person to be told this information to—so he asked him if he'd told the girl already. The bartender replied, "No. She woke up on her own! I think she's in the room with him right now."

_Great_. Jace thought, feeling a certain emotion he was unfamiliar with.  
But he got up anyway, and walked outside.  
When Jace reached the room, Simon was sitting on the bed, looking befuddled and not as handsome as he was.  
But for unexplainable reasons, Jace started to dislike him.

Simon caught his golden eyes staring at him. "Who's he?" he asked Princess Talks A lot.  
Jace took the liberty of replying for her. "Funny way of greeting the guy who saved your ass from freezing in those woods."

Simon leveled his gaze with Jace, and if Jace had mind bullets, he would have shot Simon many times by now.

"Stop it—both of you!" She was sitting by Simon's right side before she stood up and yelled that. She turned to Simon and said, "I'm glad you're ok—I already asked the lady of the inn to find a carriage for you. It'll take you to the nearest doctor. The rest of your wounds will be tended there." She touched his shoulder, compassionately.

"Why don't you just call an ambulance?" Jace inserted.  
Both looked confusedly at him. "Aim… boo… lance?"  
"Oh. Right. Never mind." Jace then leaned on a wall, sulkily.

Jace heard Simon whisper to the princess, "Where's _he_ from?" And from the tone of his voice, Jace could tell he wasn't so fond of his presence here either.

Jace kept silent, but he heard her mumble back, "Somewhere. Look Simon, you have to rest. You're still weak." She pushed him to rest on the bed.

"What about the parcel?"  
"Forget about the—"  
"You mean that green cylinder thing?" Jace asked, despite the princess's look.  
Jace saw why. Simon shot up from bed like a sling shot. "Yes! It has to be delivered for the King."

"The King can go and deliver his own messages, from now on. You are not going to continue that mission!" The princess said, angrily.  
"_Clary, _this is important. We can't just abandon that thing. The king was counting on us to re—"

"_Clary_." Jace said out loud, interrupting their conversation yet again. "That a nickname, Princess?" Jace only said the last word quietly, so only the three of them could hear.

"He knows you're a…?"  
Simon never got to finish that sentence because _Clary_ stormed right toward Jace and poked his stomach. Her eyes were burning, and her nose was flaring.

"I _did not_ give you permission to call me that." she said.  
"Oh, would you prefer Annoying Talkative girl instead?" Jace replied.

Simon made a coughing noise in the background and only when she pulled back did Jace realize how close they were standing to each other.

"Annoying Talkative girl?" Simon said, holding back amusement.  
"Yes," Clary looked at Jace angrily. "A name he baptized me with."

"For obvious reasons, no doubt."  
Before Clary could rage at him again—Simon said, "But how did he know you were a princess, Clary?"

Clary immediately calmed down. She looked at Simon as if she hadn't been angry at all.  
"Simon," She pushed him back to rest on the pillows again. "It's all too complicated now, ok? Rest first. For me? I can't take it if I lost you."

Simon:1. Jace: 0. Simon smiled and relaxed. Jace could totally wrap the blanket over his throat right now, and…

"Big Meanie guy—can I talk to you?" Clary whispered when she passed by him.  
"Not like my choice has any consideration." Jace whispered back.  
He caught her smile, and they went outside to talk so they wouldn't disturb a resting Simon.

When they closed the door behind them, Clary was the first to speak.  
"Ok—so um, here's the deal. I don't know if you've noticed but—I'm not really safe wherever I go unless you're there."  
Jace's eyes widened. "_What_? Excuse me?"  
"All I'm saying is that—you protect me." She didn't look at him when she proclaimed this—instead she stared at her fingers again.

Jace scoffs. "Now that right there is _irony_. Have you forgotten everything I told you yesterday? Staying near me—it increases your chances of dying because… well, I'm going to _kill_ you!"  
She was saying she knew and all that. "But just hear me out ok? I have another offer for you."

"Uh-uh. Not a good idea, princess." Jace then turns and walks away.  
"Hey!" she called after him. "Where are you going?"  
"You'll be safe in the pub, here. I'm leaving." Jace was already near the stairs when he heard her footsteps escalating behind him.

"I'm coming with you!" Then she made a full collision with his back.  
Jace turned to look at her, and then they were so close their knees touched each other's. The look in Jace's face was pure irritation.

"Do you want to get yourself killed, or something?" Jace asked her, mockingly.  
"Just listen to me, ok?" she told him, her eyes pleading.

When he didn't protest, she began speaking. She told him that their situations were more alike than he could imagine. They were both disobeying orders. They were both on the run. And finally, they were both angry at their lives.

"So my solution is this—I'll come with you, and we could run away together."  
She sounded very confident of herself.

"That is highly—stupid!" Jace couldn't even express himself anymore. He felt himself scream at her, but his voice seemed distant even to him. "What are you thinking? Are you insane? I'm tasked to end your life and you're offering to run away with me? I repeat my previous question—do you want to die, or something?"

"It is not stupid!" Clary flushed red—with anger or embarrassment, Jace didn't know. "Why? What do you have to come home to in your assassin world, huh? A bunch of disappointed people who may regard your mission a failure if you let me live? And if you don't—then… I don't know! I'll haunt you in you're sleep!" she yelled back at him.

"You. Are. Crazy!" But then Jace remembered what Izzy had told him.

_'The only time they send only one out to complete a mission is if they're either sure that person is good enough to come back, or horrible enough to die on the case!'_

Jace then began to see Princess Clary's point. Albatross would have no use for him if he'd gone soft and merciful. But in his own heart, he would know it would be wrong to kill Clary now—not after saving her so many times.

He's already betrayed Albatross once… and he liked it. Besides, Spade did say everyone already thought he was creating a rebellion front against Albatross— why would Jace want to prove how much of a loyal pawn he was to them to gain their approval?

"So if I run away with you—what would be the status of our relationship, Princess Clary?" Jace leaned closer to her. She turned away swiftly, but Jace caught the pink tinting her face.

"I—" Before Jace could find out what she was going to say, they heard a scream coming from Simon's room.  
Clary looked at him again, her eyes wild. "Big Meanie!"  
"Tell the bartender and his wife to leave the pub _now_!" Jace told her, pushing her back upstairs. "Go!"

Clary ran as fast as she could, and Jace wished he'd taken his sword out of his room before he left it. But there wasn't any time to go and get it now—Simon's scream was screeching, and Jace kicked the door of his room open and it fell to the floor with a loud thump.

A Greater Demon, with it's giant eyes and giant body, had Simon hanging by the neck—his sharp fingers wrapped around his throat.

"Big Meanie!" Jace turned around and something silvery flew towards him. He caught it and his eyes widened. It was his favorite sword.  
He looked to the now door-less door frame and saw Clary smiling at him.

"You're welcome!" she said as she ran after the others who were escaping.

Jace felt like an energy rune had just been drawn on him because he'd felt much more confident now that he had his sword. But even with his ego boost—Jace had to work hard on avoiding the Greater Demon's hits and whenever he slashed at it, he made sure to keep it away from Simon.

The Demon was already bleeding, and so was Jace, but it hit him by the stomach and Jace flew back on the wall. He fell on a small table and he heard something shatter. Jace looked at his hands and expected blood—but what he saw was glittering green sand.

Jace was bewildered. He got up and brushed sawdust from his butt—he was surprised to find fragments of emerald glass there. Jace turned around, and there, lying with broken wood, was what remained of the cylinder Simon was so determined to deliver for the King.

The glittery sand came from inside it, and Jace wondered what it could be. But before he could think more about that, the Greater Demon let out a monstrous growl and Jace was slashed right across his arm. Jace grunted and slashed right back. The monster looked like he was in a frenzy—big staring eyes, focused on Jace like Jace was drugs or something.

Then it hit him. Jace glared at his hands—but more specifically, the glittering sand.  
It wasn't sand at all. It was nixie blood!

Jace took a handful from the broken parcel and threw it at the demon. The demon opened it's huge mouth and swallowed some. It moaned blissfully and began growing in size. Jace took more of the green stuff and began luring the demon toward the window.

Distracted by the sweetness of the nixie blood, the demon released Simon and followed Jace.

Jace stopped walking and sprinkled some nixie blood around him. The demon snarled, and Jace smirked.

"Come get some."

* * *

Princess

Clary led Emma, the bartender, and his wife out of the pub safely. They stood outside, shivering because of the cold—and of course for fear that either Big Meanie or Simon may not survive.

A window from the second floor broke open, and Big Meanie came tumbling two stories. Mrs Woodraw, the wife, screamed, and her husband held her. A louder noise came and almost half of one side of the pub broke open for the demon had jumped out after Big Meanie.

As Clary watched Big Meanie fight the demon, watched him strike, jump, pounce, stab, then finally kill—she felt exhilarated. Never in her life had she seen anything that _amazing_ before! When the demon finally stopped moving, Big Meanie pulled his blade out of it and walked over to them. Clary heard him say that Simon was still upstairs—the bartender nodded, and sprinted for the inn—and she watched him walk up to her, looking deadly calm.

"Who gave you that parcel?" His voice was neutral as he whispered to her. Or Clary thought he whispered—the demon's screams and loud banging noises might have sort of damaged her hearing.

"You're wounded. Here let us—" Clary offered and took his arm, but he pulled it back.  
"Answer me." He kept the neutral tone, and Clary almost wished he'd just yelled. He sounded so intimidating and every bit the heartless assassin he'd admitted he was.

Clary took a step back, but not wanting to. "The King."  
"You were going to deliver it with Simon—or did you just come along with him?"

Clary tried to compose her words first. She wasn't so dense not to notice how negative Big Meanie seemed to react to her and Simon's relationship. She didn't even know why! She and Simon were only friends, but then Clary couldn't understand why she felt so defensive about that whenever Big Meanie was around!

"My father told me to run an errand for him. He told me I could take Simon along so I wouldn't get bored."  
Clary was shocked with his response. He looked forlorn and sick—what did she say wrong?

At that moment, the bartender came back with Simon on his back, and what looked like broken pieces of the parcel on his hand.

"Your friend said you needed to deliver this for the K—"  
"Yes, yes—Simon would you let it go?" Clary whined.  
"Yes." She hadn't expected Big Meanie to agree with her. She turned to look at him but he was already by the bartender, taking the green shiny stuff that seemed to stain the bartender's hand. "That mission is pointless."

"What right do you have to say that, huh?" Simon spat at him, but Big Meanie ignored him. He took the green stuff and ran toward the forest.

_Where is he going now? _Clary told the others that she'll be right back and then she ran after him. She tried following his trail which led deeper into the forest—when she reached the end of that tail, he was by a frozen lake, scraping the surface with his sword.

"What are you doing now?" she asked as she came nearer.

"Nixie blood attracts demons like blood attracts sharks, you know. Their blood is so sweet and said to be blessed by the touch of heaven—and for demons, tasting that is like drinking five decade old wine."

When Big Meanie finally punctured the lake far enough to get underneath the ice—he took the green stuff and began dropping it in the water.  
"Those are part of the parcel! Simon will freak if he found out you dropped it in a lake!" Clary exclaimed.

"Tell your friend it was all a set up." Big Meanie continued to drop them down the small hole in the lagoon.

"What?"  
"Whoever gave you this parcel was aware that what's inside practically magnetized demons to whoever was within meters. You don't get it—whoever gave this to you either wanted you to die. You never would've made it to where you were supposed to deliver it and live. If you were lucky, maybe a minimum of thirteen demons would've attacked you in one night alone." The last of the glittering green fell into the water and began dissolving.

"My father—" Clary lolled her head sideways. "He couldn't want me dead, Big Meanie. That would just be—"  
"Wrong? True. But I've seen many kings of many worlds kill off their own children to get the throne. I've seen many desperate kings who poison their children." He looked at her in the eyes, with pity Clary didn't want.

"Putting you in the demon's path is just another method."  
"Stop it!" Clary didn't want to hear any more.

"You don't know him!" Clary felt her eyes fogging up. "H-he never loved me.. But he wouldn't… he wouldn't…"  
"He was open to options…" he said, almost to himself. "if demons wouldn't work, I'd be the next in line to kill you."

Clary didn't believe her own father would want to kill her… even if he never did show her otherwise. She felt no affection for him—but the feeling of pain in her heart was still inevitable.

"You may lash at me, if it makes you feel better." he offered.

It was an awkward thing to say, and Clary perceived that Big Meanie was not used to the whole comforting ritual, but she slammed herself on his chest and began pounding at him with fists.

His arms weren't inviting—he was very stiff—but there was something about the way his heart beat calmly, as opposed to how hers beat so erratically that eased her.

They stayed like that for a long time but even so, Clary didn't find herself wanting to let go, even after all her tears have passed.

* * *

**A/N:**

I love you 11 wonderful people who reviews the last chapter, The Companion pt 2, and the 12 on The Companion pt 1... :D Ffnet is being mean again and I cant see the review page :((

I love you guys anyway~ and Ima post a thanks in the next update, is that ok? ;)  
Oh, right! I almost forgot... the next chapter is **Mission Abandoned**. :)  
Stay tuned! :D


	9. Mission Abandoned

**A/N:** **Mission Abandoned **chapter! :D yay! hahahaa stupid school starts next week! :(( Im sad now! Anyway, I hope to have another update by the weekend :) I hope you guys like this chapter. It goes a little faster. and there is a second shift of characters ;) So you see 2 Shadowhunter povs and 2 Princess poves here :D I tried to compress it as best as i could.

I hope i answered the questions of those people who reviewed~ and for those who gave great comments and great advice on how to make this story better~ thank you so much! I appreciate it so much! :D

Well, here's an update! :D enjoy! weee

* * *

**THE NIGHT-ERRAND  
**_/dedicated to City of Bones/_

_

* * *

_

Princess

Dreamland took Clary back into the castle in Alicante; back to the family that never loved her. It was a nightmare. Clary had imagined her brother, Jonathan, pulling her hair just to see how high she could scream, her father; King Valentine, looking at her coldly like she bothered him; and her mother being tormented by them both and being just as unhappy as she was before Clary decided to wake up screaming.

Clary kept on screaming but her eyes were completely shut. She wouldn't open them just yet. Maybe because she was afraid that she might wake up in that castle, and the first thing she'd see when she opened them would be the face of the people who made her so miserable.

"Hey! Hey!" A voice that sounded genuinely worried and annoyed asked, and a force seemed to shake her at both her shoulders. "Clary—stop screaming!"

Clary's eyes shot open. The room was dark, but a corner had a small lantern blazing orange fire. Shadows danced across the person's face and Clary caught herself staring at the same golden eyes she'd found so fascinating a time before.

* * *

Shadowhunter

"The King… wants to kill…kill his own _daughter_? You know how insane that sounds, Big Meanie?"  
Jace snorted. "You know, it isn't very cute when _you_ call me Big Meanie."  
He was talking privately with Simon while the bartender gave the carriage driver directions. Jace was just finished hauling Simon up the coach.

Simon gave a half laugh. "Like we even know your name. Or who you really are." He then gave Jace one suspicious look.  
"Oh?" Jace challenged him.

"You aren't who you say you are. Clary might be convinced you're a good person—but there is something off about you. No way do I believe that you're just a normal traveler—not after seeing you take down that giant thing." Simon said accusingly.

Jace kept a straight face. "You're right. You don't know me."

Simon puffed out his chest, as if making a point.

"But," Jace began. "I don't know you either. I don't know you people, yet I bother to keep you and your girlfriend alive. Believe me or not, I don't care. But when you get back to Alicante, keep watch for the King. Maybe Clary isn't the only one he wants dead."

Jace turned away and headed back to the pub. He climbed up the stairs and wanted to get back into bed as fast as he could—He was dead tired—but then he heard someone screaming.

All fatigue left his body at once as he followed his instinct to where the person was. Instinct led him to Princess Clary's door. He burst in, expecting her to be strangled by some great demon thing when in fact she was only struggling on the mattress.

Jace gave out a sigh of relief. She was jut having a bad dream.  
Jace tried to pacify her, but the problem was, he wasn't sure how to exactly.

_Damnit— that Simon should be the one doing this. She isn't my responsibility_. But then the thought of Simon holding her and comforting her made Jace surprisingly very angry.

He approached the bed and sat on top of her legs, making sure he didn't put too much weight on her.  
Jace tried to keep her from making any more violent jerks, but he only ended up holding her down like she was having epilepsy.

_So much for that_. Jace just had to come to terms with the fact that it was too late to teach him tenderness.

"Hey! Hey!" If waking her up would stop her from looking like she needed an exorcist, Jace would do just that. Her shrill voice echoed in his ears and made him slightly irritated. "Would you stop screaming, Clary?"

Then the room went completely silent and Jace looked at her. She was beneath him and her eyes were bigger than ever. She was also really sweaty and her chest rose and fell rapidly.

"Thanks." Jace said, distractedly. Man, were her eyes _green_.  
She blinked several times, sat up and embraced him. Then she lied down again.  
Jace almost fell off the bed due to the shock.  
He stayed still for a second, before asking, "What was that for?"

She didn't answer. Her shoulders moved up and down rhythmically, which was a sign that she fell asleep again.  
Jace sighed. He may never understand females. Ever. Silently, he got out of the mattress and silently, he crept back to the door.

"Nothing," came Clary's mumbled answer. Her words were muttered up and low, but amidst the stillness of the night, Jace heard her perfectly.  
"I'm just glad… you're here… big… meanie…" Her words kept fading, and so did her consciousness.  
After that, she went silent again and—Jace assumed—back into the land of dreams.

For the first time in his life, Jace found himself lost for a purpose.  
He cast one final glance at her sleeping form before exiting the room. Outside, he leaned against the doorframe. He let out a small chuckle.

"Just a few words from her," he said to no one in particular. "Just a few words—and I totally decide to abandon my mission."

Jace laughed to himself again, feeling like a total weakling for caring so much about a single person. He retreated into his room. Silently, he gathered his things and left the pub. Nobody knew he'd gone—and he'd keep it that way. He bid no goodbye to the kind bartender and his family, or to Clary.

He was afraid that if she tried to stop him—she'd succeed. Because Jace realized one giant thing—Clary was his biggest weakness and apparently, one call from her—one call asking him to not leave—and he would come back to her. He would abandon everything. Only for her.

And it sucks even more because Jace didn't know why.

This would be the best for them. She'd be safe in that pub. Simon would file a search party for her—or something—or the good bartender might take her in and give her a new name, and a better life.

As for himself—he didn't know. Jace didn't know where he was going, but swore to himself that he would never kill for anyone ever again.

He was well into the forest when his spine tingled. Jace swerved to his side automatically—but it came too fast.  
Something sinewy caught at his wrist. Jace tried to shake it off, but a burning sensation entered his arm, causing him to yell out in pain.

Fumbling in the darkness for his sword, Jace tried to cut it off. It retracted before he could take a swipe.

Jace ignored the pain shooting up his arm. It was like the wire had been marinated in acid or something… either that or some thin snake had managed to grow fangs all over its body.

"You've got a lot of nerve, Shadowhunter." A girl's voice bellowed. Jace, with his good arm, took out his witchlight. Immediately, the area was lit, and Jace squinted at the surroundings, trying to pin point her.

"Taking charge of a rebellion…" Then the coil was around his neck. He managed to prevent it from touching the skin on his throat, but his fingers suffered the price.

The witchlight that fell to the ground was picked up by a slender looking hand. Jace looked at the one holding it and he was surprised.  
The person had long black hair, and her eyes were stony and they focused on him. Her other hand held a bronze colored whip.

"And leaving your friends behind!" she cried angrily, and then she pulled it, causing the coil that caught at Jace's neck to constrict. Jace coughed violently. He felt his fingers burning.

"Izzy!" he managed tosay.

This proclamation of her identity didn't seem to make her less mad. "Don't you _Izzy_ me! We were worried sick when you didn't come back faster. Then The Voice called everyone—everyone, Jace—for a meeting. He began saying lies about you starting a rebellion. Then Spade volunteered to go 'snap you back to your senses'. I was so freaking worried. And so was Wolf! We had to steal coordinates to Alicante so we could get you before Spade did—but we got caught."

Izzy's eyes momentarily looked watery. "And… and now Luke is in a detention cell because of you." she spat, pulling the whip handle again.

"He stalled the guards while I went through the portal alone. He sacrificed himself so I could go and find you—so don't you dare _Izzy_ me, Jace Shadowhunter. Don't. You. Dare."

Jace coughed. The only reason he'd kept silent for so long was because he was afraid she would pull the whip entirely and choke him.

"Izzy—I'm not starting a rebellion." Jace tried to say. "You believed that, and it is true. Spade has been … disposed of…the girl I'm supposed to kill's father… is the one… I think… who wants her dead. And if you'd kindly let go of that demonic whip… I'd like to hug you… and tell you I'm glad to see you again!"

Izzy let go and Jace breathed puffs of air, in relief.  
Izzy stood far from him, still looking at him as if she didn't know him anymore.

"So the girl is dead then?" she asked.  
"No." Jace coughed.  
"So she's still alive?"  
"Yes." Jace suddenly felt very tired again.  
"Who kept her alive?" said Izzy.  
"I did."

Izzy was about to attack him again, but Jace dodged and had her by the headlock. He tried his best to explain to her the gravity of the situation without flinching as she bit his arm.

When he finished his story, Izzy seemed to come to her good sense. She stopped biting Jace and he let her go. She turned to look at him, then with tears in her eyes—she hugged the guts out of him.

After that touching reunion, Izzy asked, "But the only thing I don't get is why The Voice would want to send people you could easily handle out to get you."

"Like Spade?" Jace wasn't proud of killing someone, but the thought of this one time made him grin.

"Yeah." Izzy seemed to busy thinking, that she didn't see his haughty look. "He's definitely weaker than you. Then there's Alec and Magnus. They're your friends. They wouldn't hurt you… but The Voice sent them too…"

"Hold on—so Magnus and Alec are here too?" Jace asked her.

Izzy shrugged. "Spade used a Homing Portal. So if he didn't go through it 20 hours after his first departure, Albatross would receive an alert. That's when Magnus and Alec come in."

Jace felt his heartbeat accelerate.

"Izzy, it's cool. I'm fine." Jace said hurriedly, when Izzy tried to draw a healing rune on his wrist. He didn't know he had jerked his hand off and sprinted back into the direction of the pub until he heard Izzy call after him.

He felt her fall into step beside him as he ran through the forest quickly avoiding trees.

"Jace! Why are you running?"  
"I'll explain later. We have to get to her before they do."  
"Her?" Jace was so focused on running he almost pushed through trees like dominos.  
"Princess. The girl. The one I'm supposed to kill. She's alive, remember? Apparently, she can't seem to stay that way."

Jace was running even faster now when he heard Izzy let out a small laugh beside him.

"What the hell is so funny? You obviously don't know how incredibly danger prone that girl is!" Jace said, but in reality, he was only trying to delude himself from the fact he was actually worried about the princess by insulting her.

Izzy responded by laughing even harder. "Well, look at you, Shadowhunter." she said in awe. "Since when did you start caring?"

Jace kept silent but he ran for the door when he caught sight of the pub.  
Izzy's question ricocheted in his head. _When did he start caring?_

_

* * *

_

Princess

Clary needed a glass of water. She sat up from the bed and pulled the covers off of herself. She only had blurry images in her head of what her latest dream was, but one thing remained solid in her thoughts. The sound of Big Meanie's heart when she had her head close to his chest. Clary felt very embarrassed that he had to see he rin that moment of weakness—but that didn't really make any difference now. He's seen her in many moments of weakness.

Clary stood up, fumbling in the darkness for her slippers. The lantern had seemed to run out of candle power.

Clary was sure it was really early in the morning right now, so she kept her steps quiet, to make sure she wouldn't disturb their sleep. She was walking toward the door when a hand came to her mouth. Clary got pulled harshly back unto the bed before she could even scream.

Something sharp poked at her neck and Clary let out a small gasp.

At first she thought it might've been Big Meanie—but she was almost completely sure that was wrong.  
The hands. They weren't his.

"Ssh. We'll make this quick, Princess." Clary couldn't see his face, but he sounded male. A little. There was a tender edge to his voice, somewhat soothing and it was like hearing a cat purr.

Clary felt metal against her lips which must mean he wore rings in his fingers. Those were a lot of rings, then.

Another physical attribute of his, Clary noticed, was that his shirt seemed covered in glitter.

"What was wrong with Jace?" Another voice said. "This girl couldn't be much difficulty to kill."

Clary felt insulted by that but she said nothing. The other voice was the one holding the sharp weapon. His other hand seemed pulled to his side, which gave Clary the impression he must have been holding a bow, and the sharp weapon pointed towards her was the arrow.

"Let's not judge him." Glittering Ring wearer said. Then he said to Clary, "Don't worry, my dear." He almost sounded sweet. "We promise you wont feel a thing."

Then he said to his accomplice, in a slightly more serious tone, "Wetake care of her first—then we can go search for Jace—"

"There's no need for that."  
Clary recognized that voice and she was so glad to hear it.

"Mig Meamie!" she said against Glittering Ring wearer's hand. She meant to say 'Big Meanie' but the words came hard to pronounce with someone's hand pressed against your jaw apparently.

The door behind him was wide open and Clary could see that he'd already taken out his sword.  
Her hopes escalated. He always managed to show up at the right moments.

The arrow pointed at her now shifted towards him. The hand that pressed at her mouth left and Clary tried to get up but she found her entire body numb.

"Jace," The one with the arrow—he turned out to be a dark haired guy, about Big Meanie's height—said through gritted teeth.  
"I'm going to kill this girl, first." Clary gulped. "Then I'm going to kill you next!"

"Nice seeing you, too, Alec." Big Meanie managed to smile.  
_Alec_ was already about to shoot when another new voice screamed, at the nick of time.

"Wait! Alec, stop! Let him explain!" said the voice.  
Alec seemed shocked. "Izzy? Is that you?"

Clary saw someone emerge from behind Big Meanie and her mouth dropped wide open. The girl—it was a girl—she was completely beautiful! Clary couldn't help staring. Her skin was fair and her hair was long and black. She almost leveled with Big Meanie in height and Clary had never seen anyone as elegant as her.

Eventually, the one named Alec agreed to listen to Big Meanie. After telling them a long story, Alec and Glittering Ring wearer—whose name was Magnus, Clary noted—looked relieved and the beautiful dark haired girl called Izzy hugged Alec.

The one called Magnus joined them but Big Meanie kept his distance. When the three released, Alec had walked over to Big Meanie and they looked at each other for a long time, saying absolutely nothing.

Then after awhile, Alec said, in a distant voice, "Can I talk to you, Jace? Alone."  
Jace—Big Meanie!—looked Clary in the eye, the first time since the entire incident, and then looked back at Alec after a split second.

"Alright." he replied.  
Alec was the first to exit the room, Big Meanie—Jace— following at his heel.

"Oh yeah, Magnus," Jace called, reentering the room. The one called Magnus nodded.  
"Please stop keeping her limbs clipped together. Thanks." Then he walked out of the room again.

Magnus laughed heartily and snapped his fingers. Immediately, Clary felt herself gain control over her body again. Clary sat up, wanting to follow Jace, but a soft hand squeezed her shoulder, keeping her in place.

"Let them be alone." Clary looked up and saw the one called Izzy smiling down at her. Her smile looked friendly and something in the way she gently clutched Clary's shoulder, made Clary think that she knew best.

Clary nodded and lied down again. She was too tired to worry about the fact she was in a room full of assassins. Her mind had too much excitement for one night, but she'd pick this hostile takeover over her nightmares, any day.

* * *

Shadowhunter

"Alec, wait up!" Jace ran to catch up with him. Alec stopped somewhere in the small hall of the second floor of the pub.  
"Well?" Alec stared at Jace, looking like he was expecting Jace to say something important.  
"Uh, well?" Jace had absolutely no idea what Alec wanted from him.

"What's going on between you two?" Alec asked.  
"Who?" Jace replied.  
"You and the princess." Alec's lip seemed to quirk into what seemed to be a knowing smile.

"Oh. Well, I don't see any reason to kill someone that—that—dense. This King must be whacked to want his own daughter dead. I don't want to be part of that anymore, Alec." Jace said, solemnly.

"So you like her then?" Alec's smile hadn't stopped spreading itself across his face.  
Jace choked with his own spit at that point. "_Like her_?" Jace mimicked.

"She is unbelievably talkative—you seriously can't shut her up! I don't think I can count the many times I've tried to make her keep quiet, or the times I've wished I could wring her neck. And she's a distraction for me—it's like her eyes have a hypnotic effect on them. Don't laugh—you try staring at them for a good long time! Let's see if you don't get caught in them. She's intolerable and hot headed and, _why_ are you laughing?"

Alec suppressed his giggles when he caught the annoyance in Jace's voice.  
Jace waited for him to answer. When he finally got himself composed, Alec said, "Jace,"

He walked over to Jace and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You do realize you only feel this way about her because you're in love with her, right?"

Jace's mouth dropped open. _In love with… Clary? _The idea seemed preposterous… idiotic…illogical…impossible!

Alec smiled. "You're the only one who doesn't see, Jace."  
Jace said nothing.  
"You're the only one who doesn't see the way your eyes sparkle when you see her. With the way you describe her—I can tell she's really your type."

Jace met Alec's eyes. He was absorbing everything Alec said. The moe he took in, the more it made sense.

"Like you could possibly know my type. Half my life, I've been completely void of a stable love life." Jace said to Alec.

Alec's smile grew broader. "So is this you admitting you're in love with her?"  
"No," Jace said, shaking Alec's hand off. Jace smirked. Now that he knew the reason why Clary distracted him so much—he felt an incredible burden lift from his chest.

"This is me accepting that I am in love with her." Alec's mouth opened, as if he was about to say something—but Jace was already walking back to the room, leaving Alec at a cliff hanger.

Jace fake-knocked at the door frame of Clary's room and sauntered in, the smirk still on his face.

"What's up with that contorted expression that you're trying to pass off as normal?" Magnus said. He was leaning on the wall beside Clary's bed.

"I need to talk to Clary." Jace stated, calmly. He stared intently at her, as if seeing her for the first time. Her hair looked magnificently glow-y in his view point.

Magnus looked like he was about to say something but Izzy held him by the wrist and quickly led Alec's boyfriend out of the room. Jace had an idea that maybe Izzy had known about his little in-love situation too.

Explained why she was laughing and taunting him on the way to the pub, then.

When the two had shut the door behind them, Jace took his time in walking toward Clary in the darkness.

She was lying on the mattress, closing her eyes.  
"I know you're awake." Instantly, her eyelids fluttered open, and she twisted her head so she could look at him. Jace's heart stopped beating.

"I have to tell you something." Jace and Clary said at exactly the same time.  
"You first," Clary said, sitting up. Her hair looked like one gigantic mass of flames.  
"Ok," Jace didn't hesitate, didn't blink, didn't give her any time to process his body language—he went for it. He kissed her.

He felt her mouth go rigid—obvious surprise reaction—and he expected her to push herself away and slap him or something ( she did think he was a big meanie and everything.)  
But he was wrong.  
Her lips got softer and they opened up for him to enter. And before he knew it, she was kissing him back.  
Jace wasn't in a stable state of mind right then and there, but he took her in his arms and pressed himself closer.

He heard her moan when the kiss finally ended. He let out a small chuckle, and remained close to her.

"Wow." Clary said after awhile, still not letting go of his shoulder.  
"Yeah." Jace looked her in the eyes and she stared back. Gold against Green.  
"Now what were you going to tell me?" Jace remembered she had something to say too. Miraculous he could even remember anything at all after that kiss.

Clary smiled. One of her hands left his shoulder and went to his cheek. It stayed there.  
"Jace."

His own name sounded different to Jace's ears. He'd never heard her say it before.

"How did you know that?" Jace whispered.  
"I heard your friends call you that. Jace—yeah, it'll do." Clary said, thoughtfully. "I liked Big Meanie better though. It suited you perfectly."

Jace laughed silently, and he kissed her forehead. Strange, he's never been so affectionate towards anyone before. This girl really did have a great effect on him.

"Well," Jace said, his lips still pressed to her head. "I guess we're even now."

* * *

**A/N:**

WOW! thanks so much for the wonderful reviews for the last chapter (14 for one chapter alone, i think! :D you guys are awesome!)  
**LOLHaily, Lolo14998, slaygal05, Scrotie McBoogerBalls, sleeper102, coraline olivin, oxlifexo, Katy Rose, Tbaby13, burningximpossiblyxbirght, Neoleyjean, ortonga99, BlondeHairBlueEyes14, Lissa Dragomir101, wwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeee... and EvangelineCircleInTheHouse **(for chapter 7 i think)

:D I'm so sorry I neglected to make more notes for you guys :( Stupid ffnet is mean. :)) But anyway, you know I update for all of you becaus eI love you :)

The next chapter is entitled, **Drenched In Moonlight **and for those who think I'm jumping directly to a JaceClary sex scene~ I'm sorry, but I'm not. :(

Well... not _yet _anyway. (heeheeeeheeee~ cliffy) :))

till next update!


	10. Drenched in Moonlight

**A/N:** **Drenched in Moonlight**chapter is open to revisions. It's really late at night here in our country and I had to cram just to find words that fit. :( I hope this chapter is ok guys :) So sorry if there are minor faults and little errors. Like I said, i was in a rush :)

I'll probably work on revisions when I post another chapter :)

Im sorry but school is getting a little hectic so I may be only be able to update during weekends, guys :( Im so sorry! I hope you guys read and review and the like ;)

The next chap is called **City of Valentine**. (im not telling why :)) and I'm so sleepy right now... I cant find the energy to post a thanks to all those wonderful people who reviewed the last chapter! :D I love you guys and thanks so much for the positive feedback!

:)

* * *

**THE NIGHT-ERRAND  
**_/dedicated to City of Bones/_

_

* * *

_

Shadowhunter

When Jace woke up the following day, he was a new man.  
Realizing he was in love with Clary brought new responsibilities for him. These responsibilities were looking out for her, making her happy, and etc.

Jace could call this a challenge since he's never bothered to care if a relationship works or not before. He considered this his new mission. One he actually liked to do.

Jace got out of his room and made his way downstairs. Nobody was out in the halls—others were probably still asleep, or in Simon's case, halfway across the land. Jace descended the steps quietly, and intended to take well needed silent time to think over his tactics to achieve his 'mission'—a.k.a Loving Clary—but nothing ever seems to his way this past few days.

Jace looked around the pub. It was completely trashed. He caught sight of broken windows, tables and chairs. Sunlight was pouring in from one area of the pub's wall, which seemed to have been hit by one giant wrecking ball because there was one huge gaping hole in it. Jace walked slow strides across the room, keeping guard of his surroundings.

…Thoughts about romancing was just going to have to wait.

Jace was nearing the bar—all the glasses and drinks were trashed and broken as well—and he saw something on the floor, unmoving.  
Jace cautiously approached and his eyes grew wide. Built up inside him was rage and grief.  
The good bartender lay on the ground, obviously dead. No blood oozed from him, as if he was just enchanted with some deadly spell.

"_Die_!" A voice hissed, and luckily for Jace, he was able to evade the green fire that pummeled itself at him. Jace hopped on top of the bar and the person let loose another bolt of fire. Jace escaped the blow, but the table was not too fortunate.

Jace was barely on his feet when he felt something cold and lifeless grab at his foot. Jace fell to the ground painfully. The cold and lifeless hand was sucking his life force from him; Jace could feel it leaving his body.

Jace punched at a broken floor board and one end flanked the hand away from him. Jace crawled away but he hit something.

_Great, what now? _Jace looked up and he saw a really big looking guy with really big hands and feet and a bald head staring down at him angrily. The Big guy took Jace by the neck and proceeded to hang him three feet from the ground.

"He took Spade from us. Kill him now, Cannon Ball." The first voice, the person that threw green fire at Jace, said impatiently. "What are you waiting for?"

"_Kiiiilll_ hiiiimmm…" Jace felt deadness go through his spine when he heard this guy's voice again. But even with their encouragement, the big ugly guy still wouldn't finish him off.

Jace tried to free himself, but Cannon Ball had an iron grip. He tightened his hold around Jace's neck, and Jace gasped for air. The other two cheered.

"Jinx… Reaper… and Cannon Ball—I had a feeling it was you three." Jace said their names in the order of which they attacked. They were the deceased Spade's rank mates probably coming to take vengeance for their fallen member. "Surely, you wouldn't think it to be a victory if you killed me in a fight where I was out numbered?" Jace said, against the pain.

"Your taunts won't work on us, Shadowhunter." Jinx said angrily. "If you really were the best assassin—you'd be able to get out of this predicament, wouldn't you?" she said, feeling smart.

Jace made a fake sound of defeat. "Oh, you got me."

They didn't seem to hear the sarcasm in his voice. They laughed victoriously in chorus. But when their guard was down, a metal coil came from out of nowhere and wrapped itself around Cannon Ball's neck and as he fell back, he let go of Jace. The big guy didn't feel pain but he still couldn't escape the wire that was around his throat.

Jinx panicked, and began chanting spells but before she could fire them at Jace, who was sprinting away, a big red and glittering mass of energy, blew up in front of her face and sent her flying across the room.

"Izzy! Magnus!" It was Alec's voice and he was firing arrows at Reaper's head. He couldn't see it under the hoodie but Alec had really good aim.

"Thanks guys." Jace said gratefully when he was near them. Great timing these guys have. "Where is the princess?"  
"Upstairs." The three said in unison, seemingly ignoring him as they were pretty busy fighting.  
"A little help would be nice, Shadowhunter." Magnus yelled as he defended himself against the other magician, looking glittery even in his PJs.

Jace figured they must have heard the noise and went down—despite being underdressed. But nobody cared about that in Albatross, well, maybe except for Izzy. But right now she was not a _fashionista_ but a warrior, and she put her entire self in that fight with a giant man who was twice her size.

"Hey!" Alec screamed when Reaper began using his weapon, the scythe. See, this guy was patterned after the Grim Reaper—the soul sucking and manipulative power and all— but the only way to beat him was to fight him in long range combat because he could only affect you if you were close to him.

"I'm coming Alec!" It was Magnus. He used his free hand, the one that wasn't making a protective field around himself, to shoot a purple ray at Reaper. Reaper was immediately locked inside a glittering glass chamber.

Alec looked at him. "Thanks."

"Jace!" It was Izzy's voice. Jace turned to his left and ducked. Fire balls were flying towards him like side swept hail stones. He went to take cover behind a knocked over beer cabinet and he tripped over something. Jace turned to see and he was horrified.

Lying there, still holding her daughter, was the wife of the bartender. Both her and Emma's eyes were wide and staring. The cut in the wife's neck was already turning purple-ish. Emma looked still, just like her father, but blood kept gushing from under her. They were dead.

Jace coped with his sadness by being pissed—so right now, he must have been very upset.

Jace could barely recall the next events, but he remembered going for a shard of glass—he didn't care if it made his hand bleed—and went head long and slashed every single one of the 2nd rank assassins' hearts. He didn't even remember how he managed to get close enough to kill any of them—he was only aware that after 30 minutes of fighting, he was standing in the middle of a room with their dead carcasses circling him.

No one in the room made any sound. Jace felt ashamed.

"I guess no matter what I do… or what I say… I'm still a killer, huh?" Still, nobody said a word. Jace let go of the glass. His hand was aching and he wanted nothing more than to go to his room and sleep—but he had to clean up after himself.

"Magnus," Jace heard Magnus walk up closer to him. Jace was aware that he sounded every bit the heartless murderer that he knew he was. He just had to accept that. "Take the bodies of the bartender's family outside. Criss Cross… Prima Bronze," Alec and Izzy, respectively, stepped up after Magnus walked away to do as Jace asked.

"Go look for some matches, and tell Magnus to go bury the bodies in the forest." Jace said, without looking at any of them.  
"What about Jinx, Reaper, and Cannon Ball's bodies?" Izzy asked.

Hearing Izzy address them with their professional names made Jace even more tired. Because—though he didn't like to—he got reminded of the fact that they had all spent their lives doing this… and each had their responsibility to do. Things never got personal before, but now—

"Those were good people they killed." Jace said, sadly. "They don't deserve to die with honor. Take as much gas from the storeroom as you can. Tell Clary we're leaving. We have to burn this inn down. No evidence must be left. Understand?"

"Yes, Shadowhunter." They sprinted off to do their tasks.

Jace was left standing there, thinking about what he'd done.

* * *

Princess

Clary sat outside, Jace's jacket draped around her, dry tears staining her face. The snow was still evident on the ground, but some areas were already dry. Winter was almost coming to a close. Clary watched the four—Alec, Magnus, Izzy and Jace—splash gasoline over the pub that belonged to a wonderful family. A wonderful family that was now dead.

Clary wiped away a new tear that escaped her left eye. She stifled a sob at the memory of the little girl—her cute and young face, eager to see the world… then her smiles changed to screams, and Clary's thoughts kept circling back to the image of that child's pale and lifeless face. She would never get to see puppet shows, graduate, get married, or live a happy life. That future was taken away from her by a bunch of killers who only wanted revenge.

The whole event alone was heartrending. Clary looked at Jace, who was emotionlessly hauling wood here and there. They intended to burn the house down.

"Jace!" It was Izzy, Jace's female friend's, voice. She was somewhere near the huge gaping hole in the wall, waving her hands frantically. Clary, out of curiosity, left her spot of mourning and drew nearer.

"What is it, Izzy?" Jace asked, slowly moving towards her.

"You have to see this…" Her voice sounded incredulous. Clary snuck a peek at what Izzy was referring to when she was close enough—and when she saw, she wished she hadn't.

"'_All hail the King of Alicante'_. And it's written… with _blood_." Izzy said, inspecting the dry wall. The words were clear and bold—made from fresh blood, no doubt—and they were spelled across the entire portion of the wall that wasn't destroyed.

"Clary," Clary jumped in surprise. She hadn't heard Jace come near her.  
Clary didn't turn around to look at him though. She didn't want him to see how sad she currently was. In comparison to him—fighting demons, killing assassins—Clary was a complete weakling. She couldn't even stop herself from crying like mad when she saw Emma's dead body. She must have looked like an idiot.

Jace was completely calm throughout. Clary thought at first it was because he might be used to it—but then by observing him as he worked to clean up and get rid of the dead bodies, Clary was pretty sure that he was one of the bravest people she'd ever get to meet.

She didn't want to turn around and have to face that brave face with a puffy eyed one.

"Clary," he said again, this time, brushing his fingers through her hair. That pretty much did it.  
Clary turned around—who cares about red puffy eyes anyway?—and thrust herself at his chest and hugged him like he was life support.

"It was my father—it was him—he—he wanted me—" Clary said in between violent sobs.  
"Ssh," Jace said, soothingly rubbing her shoulder. Then almost abruptly, he went still. Clary sniffled, and looked up at him. "Jace?" she asked.

He looked like a statue, standing there. His eyebrows were knotted together and his mouth creased into what seemed like a frown.  
Clary turned around, tracing his line of sight, and it led her to where Izzy stood, crossing her arms, a smug expression on her face.

Izzy, noticing Clary's stare, snapped out of focus. "Oh don't stop now. This is very entertaining."  
"Izzy, go do your job." Jace's tone was the embodiment of leadership. Izzy scoffed and stalked away, probably to get more oil.

When she was gone, Jace slowly relaxed. Clary giggled.

"Great, you're laughing now too?" Jace said mournfully, but he drew her closer and hugged her back.  
"Not because of you." Clary said. "Your friends enjoy teasing you." She stated though it was the obvious.  
She felt Jace vibrate into a laugh. Then it subsided, and he asked her a very serious question.  
"So what are you planning to do now?"

Clary kept silent for awhile, thinking and considering. But she already knew her mind was set. "I want to fight the King."  
Jace didn't make any movement, or sign of disapproval. He simply stood in silence, probably trying to make her words sink in.

"Jace!" It was Magnus, screaming from afar. "You and the Princess should get out of the inn. We're about to light fire to it!"  
Jace pulled away from her, but he kept close. Clary desperately wished he'd say something. It was when he didn't that always frightened her.

"We'll talk about this later." he told her while leading her outside. When they were safely with the others, Jace separated himself from her and helped his friends set fire to the pub.

They let it burn down every inch of the small home. Nothing was to be left except for ashes, which would soon be devoured by the snow. Jace let the fire settle before gathering everyone and telling them it was time to move out.

He didn't so much as look at Clary the entire time.

Clary didn't ask Jace where he planned on going because she was too busy trying to catch up with him. They were supposed to be walking through the forest, but he had strides the length of a javelin, so Clary was pretty much jogging after him.

It was obvious that Jace was working very hard to ignore her. He spent his time talking to Alec or looking for food when they camped out in the wilderness, and he slept far away from her as possible.

And after five days of that, Clary couldn't take it any more.

The sun was already beginning to set and by this time, they were walking near a hillside. It would look like a hillside if it wasn't covered with so much snow. And Jace was gaining speed again because Clary was right behind him.

Clary wouldn't let this pass again. She accelerated too; when she nearly caught up to him—he zoomed faster again.  
Clary felt irritation scratch her.

"Jace—" There was no reply. "…Big Meanie!" Still, no reply. "_Will you wait up for a second_!" she blurted out.  
"You're too slow. Keep up." He didn't look at her though he was addressing her. This made her even more irritated. This guy was just so rude!

"No—you're just too fast! Now wait. _Up_." As she said this, he evidently stopped walking and because Clary was already doing a half-run, she didn't have time to slow down… thus hitting him… further thus, they fell off the hill.

Clary and Jace kept on rolling and rolling until they were called to a stop by a big tree that was in the way.

Clary squinted her eyes open, and found that she was on top of Jace. For a moment, her eyes found his and they looked at each other.

Then he said, "Yes. Your _Highness._" sarcastically.  
Clary pushed herself off of him, and felt herself flush. Sure, he struck her very core of anger with that mockery tone—but he was so _close_.

He pulled himself off of the ground, and didn't even offer to help her up.

"I don't understand why you are so upset!" Clary tried to keep her voice leveled, but she wasn't doing a very good job. "You know what, let me rephrase—I don't understand _you_ at all! You are prone to mood swings and you're mean and constantly sardonic. I don't know when you're happy or when you're sad—but you're usually just grumpy and…"

"_Mean_. I know. What makes you think I'm angry over you? I could be angry over your boyfriend, Simon for all you care." he said, with equal heat.

"He's my _best_ friend. Not my boyfriend. And don't bring him into this! If you spent more time actually seeing that I love him as a friend, then you wouldn't be so very irritable most of the time he's in the same room as me!"

Jace got taken aback by this; Clary saw it reflect in his eyes. He walked towards her and he bent down to look at her. He gave her a challenging grimace. "You think I'm… jealous?"

Clary stayed put there, staring into his eyes again. She wanted to answer, but parts of his face always distracted her. The way his lip twitched, the way his hair was placed, and the thought of his lips entered her mind again and then she was completely gone.

"Simon is sort of like your Izzy." Clary said, quietly.

"What?" Jace was now very exasperated. He stood erect and began walking away. But before he could holler at her to come along or to stop saying stupid things… Clary said, dazedly, "Simon is like Izzy, for you. I know you two don't have anything going on because I see the way you two look at each other—and it has family written all over it. But if anybody looked at both of you from afar, they would think because both of you look strikingly beautiful, and you two seem to really enjoy each other's company—you two were something close to an item."

Jace kept silent, but he turned around to face her again. There was some distance between them, but Clary could see him smiling. "You must have spent a lot of time deliberating whether we were together or not, didn't you?"

And just like that—one smile from him—and all her previous thoughts of rage fluttered away.

"You have a powerful effect on people, Jace." Clary said, distantly. He walked closer and he kneeled in front of her.

"Can you walk?" He didn't hold out a hand though.  
"No. My left leg seems to be wounded." Clary lied. She admitted, she liked teasing him as much as he teased her.  
"Which leg?" He moved both and Clary moaned when he touched the right one.  
Jace didn't look worried—in fact, he even looked amused. He stood up and assured her she would live. Clary had to hold back the laughter.

"It's not broken but Magnus can fix it."  
"He has medicine?"  
"No. Better, he has magic. Now… hop on." Jace was referring to his back. Clary stared for a moment, unsure of what he meant. Jace sighed and explained.

"I'll give you a piggy back ride. After all, _you can't walk_." With the way he said the last three words, Clary had a feeling her act was already caught. She nodded and feigning injury, hopped on his back and he proceeded on carrying her up the incline.

They were already half way in between when Clary asked, "Jace, I know you aren't upset because of Simon."

"Oh?" Jace said, interestedly.  
"You aren't in approval of me going to fight my father, are you?"  
"I told you we'd talk about it later" he said.

"The Later Excuse expires after five days. Will you help me or not? But even if you say no, I can go on my own and do it myself. Those bad people killed Emma. She was only a little girl. Nobody should die because of me, Jace. And surely, not innocent and good citizens. I will fight the King—my own father—whether you support me or not." Clary meant this, but she really wished Jace would support her.

Not because she needed a strong arm on her side—but because genuinely, she didn't want to do it without him. He was involved in this as much as she was, and she didn't want to face her father alone. Jace always made her feel safe—even after she found out he was an assassin. She didn't even know why she trusted him, she just did.

"Jace, say something." Clary pleaded. Jace stopped walking and he turned his head so he could look at her on his back. Clary was relieved none of the estrangement was there anymore. A warm look was on his face. Clary had never seen him look so angelic like that—and she really wanted to tell him it really suited him, but decided not to.

"Did I ever tell you that you talk too much?" he said.  
"Only a few times."  
He chuckled before facing the front again. "Your city really is beautiful, Princess."  
Clary didn't understand what he meant at first, until she looked over his head and her mouth fell wide open.

Drenched in moonlight, the city of Alicante glowed bright as they watched it from a bird's eye view.

"The night is already full. What took you so long to climb up a hill?" A voice said from behind them. Jace set Clary on the ground and she jumped once to show him she was fine.

"It was a tall hill." Jace said, still staring at her. Clary took the moment to really absorb his features. He really did look gorgeous; with the way the moon made ripples in his eyes and made his hair gleaming.

"Clary," Jace said to her. "I hope I've made it clear that I do intend to help you. The proof is sitting right there." He referred to the city below them.

"You brought me to Alicante? You knew the way?" Clary was amazed.  
"The bartender told me to keep heading west. We follow the end of this hill, and we'll most likely be at the door of your kingdom."

Clary was so happy that she embraced Jace very tightly. When they parted, they looked slightly embarrassed that the other three people there had to see that exchange.

"Thanks." Her green eyes met his golden ones.  
"You're welcome." The eye contact remained even after he said so.

"Are you two done having sex with your eyes? It's getting dark."

Jace's expression shifted from dreamy to annoyance. But his smile was still there. Jace turned to Magnus—who was the one who made that comment—and said to him, "Magnus, Alec, Izzy—I have to come with her to Alicante. Along this path, we should be able to find a decent place where you can call Albatross so—"

"Yeah, yeah. We know." Magnus interjected with a sigh. "Go home. You can handle it from here. Blah Blah. One question though."

Jace nodded.

Magnus crossed his arms, and Alec and Izzy smiled. "How long do we have to know each other for you to realize we aren't going to just leave you here alone?"

Clary, for one, was touched by the words—but Jace just looked surprised. Jace was really lucky to have them as his friends. They cared so much about him.

"They really love you," Clary said out loud. "even if you're a big meanie most of the time."  
Jace let out a small laugh. Clary saw the three come closer and began initiating a group hug. Clary was surprised when Izzy pulled her in too!

Clary didn't know how to begin describing the feeling. She was never hugged by so many people all at once before and she felt a great sense of happiness. When they parted, Jace told them that if they wanted to reach Alicante by a week, they had to move. They were already making their way back to the trail, when Clary drew Izzy back to ask her a question.

"I had nothing to do with your circle of friends—so why did you include me in the hugging process?"

Izzy laughed, as if the reason was already obvious. "Clary, you're probably the only girl in the world who can make Jace act like a normal and functional human being." Izzy looked at her with respect in her eyes.

"And just because of that—I love you already."

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**A/N:**

-sleep mode-


	11. City of Valentine

**A/N:** **City of Valentine **chapter posted. :) Again, sorry for minor errors, gonna work on that as soon as i finish my thesis paper :D

busy busy busy... sneak peak: next chapter is called **The Proposal** :)

see you guys real soon!

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**THE NIGHT-ERRAND  
**_/dedicated to City of Bones/_

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Princess

Clary had never been this far out in the city, which was why she couldn't help twisting her head in different directions to catch different glimpses of the place. They were in a very crowded version of a market place and everyone seemed to scream out the products they were selling. Everywhere she turned, she'd see huge carts filled with dirty looking fruits or rotten looking vegetables. The entire avenue was jam-packed. Clary, once or twice, ran into small children dressed in rags that were playing on the streets.

As they maneuvered their way through the crowd, Clary got around to thinking:

For almost 16 years, she's has lived a very sheltered and pampered life—horrible and cold, it may be; it was still sheltered—while these poor people lived in poverty. They probably sleep with rats on the floor while she lies tucked in a warm bed, sheets and covers all around her.

Come to think of it, her father—if he was any better of a king than he was of a father—could fix this. He could give them homes and actually make a difference in people's lives rather than going to lavish parties in other countries with his golden-boy son.

Clary couldn't hate her father more than she did at that moment.

"Cover your face, Princess." Magnus whispered to Clary when he passed her. Clary drew the cloak closer. Jace had given it to her to protect her identity. According to Jace, it wasn't wise for her to parade around in the city without caution because her father might have spies all over. Jace was walking ahead of her, Alec and Izzy at her side, and Magnus at her heel. They were inconspicuously keeping her guarded.

There weren't a lot of people when they reached the center of the bazaar. A big marble statue of an angel served as a centerpiece. Clary sat at its feet and rested. Jace took one look at her and asked, "Ok, we need a place to rest. Anybody know any safe houses around here?" He directed the question to the others.

Magnus put his finger on his chin. "Hmm… any pension houses here? Or motels?"  
Alec responded by saying, "I don't think so. This place looks too old fashioned to have those kinds of things. We could take refuge in an old barn or farm somewhere?"

"Ew," came Izzy's reply. "We'll never get enough sleep with all those animals mooing or cock-a-doodle-dooing."  
The three looked lost in thought.  
"Uhm," Magnus, Alec, Izzy, and Jace's eyes turned to Clary. "What about Simon's house?" she suggested.

"Does he live near here?" Jace asked.  
"Well, no. Their home is in the royal grounds. I don't really know how to get there from here—but I think…" Clary pointed to a cart that was being managed by a fat old man that was selling little pieces of paper. "…that man does. He appears to be selling maps, according to his yells."

Jace paused to listen and there was a glint in his eyes. He looked at Clary, with a smile. "Good job, Princess Talks Alot."

"I only appreciate 80 percent of that sentence, but you're welcome."  
Jace smiled and held out his hand. Clary took it and they all walked over to "bargain" with the maps salesman.

The old man put up a fight but Jace got very persuasive. In the end he agreed to sell Jace a map with a 100 percent discount. The instructions weren't hard to read and in no time, the group reached the gates of the royal grounds. This place was located a little bit farther from the palace, but it was were rich folk—or those valuable to the king—lived.

A huge wall was built to separate it from the slum areas, and two guards posted by the gate. Clary expected them to be strict or possibly mean—but they were immediately captured by Izzy's charm and beauty.

"Would you boys mind opening that gate for me and my friends over here?" Izzy said sweetly. The two nodded dumbly, and Clary noted that they puffed out their chests when Izzy passed by them on her way inside.

"Where does Simon live?" Jace asked Clary when they were all through the gates.  
Clary looked around. Things got more familiar. "Come on. Follow me."

"Izzy!" Alec pulled her by the arm while she was waving goodbye to the guards.  
The passed by a lot of houses that looked well-kept unlike the ones in the market place. Clary saw the huge difference in the way they lived in the slums and those in the palace. Her heart sank.

They went deeper into the neighborhood and Clary stopped a few yards away from a small cottage at the far end of the block. It was surrounded by trees; Clary knew that there was one specific tree in the backyard that had a swing tied to it.

"Have you been in Simon's house before?" Jace asked her.  
"Many times!" The minute she blurted it, she wished she hadn't. Jace's eyebrows tethered together and he looked very…

"Who knew Jace could get jealous?" Magnus said out loud. Jace ignored him and stalked towards the front door of the house. He knocked thrice, and no sooner than later, the door creaked open.

They were faced with a man—somewhere in his 40's—with a smile. That grin faded when he caught sight of Magnus.

"My word—son, you're glittering!"  
Magnus smiled and may have taken that as a complement.  
Clary stepped in front of Jace, who was right in front of the man, and pulled down her hood.  
The man gasped.  
"Princess Clarissa!"  
Clary gave a weak smile. "Mr. John Lewis III, it is wonderful to see you again."

Simon's father let them all in at once and shut the door behind him. He offered them chairs and food as well as new clothes (he was flabbergasted when he saw Izzy's very rebellious outfit) and shelter.

"I'm so happy to see you, Princess! I thought you were dead!" He exclaimed while pouring Alec a cup of tea.

"Mr. Lewis, these are my friends: Alec, Izzy, Magnus, and Jace." The four said their hellos awkwardly. "We're all sort of caught in a very dangerous situation and I know this may seem like an odd accusation—but I think my father wants me dead."

Mr. Lewis gasped and almost spilled tea over Alec.

"That's impossible, Princess—why, I couldn't begin to think of a more remoursful king than your father!" Clary was shocked at that claim.  
"Mr. Lewis, might I ask if ther has been anything noticeably strange about your King since Clary's disappearance?"

"Why, young man," Mr. Lewis looked at Jace with interest. "You're probably the second person alive that has called our Princess by that nickname."

Clary shot him a look and he just smiled at her. Clary turned away quickly when she felt heat approach her cheeks.

Mr. Lewis observed them and a manifested a big hearty laugh.  
"Why, I didn't know you had a boyfriend, Princess!"

Clary heard Magnus cough, and Alec and Izzy clearing their throats.  
"Uhm, about the king, Sir?" Jace changed the topic hastily.

"Ah," Mr. Lewis nodded. "King Valentine? No, actually. He hasn't approached me for days. On the morning we found out of your disappearance," he was referring to Clary. "he hasn't left the palace. None of your family members have."

Clary was surprised. "Even Jonathan?"  
"Jonathan?" Jace butted in.  
"My brother." Clary said briefly. "He loves going out to hunt and stuff or go with father on meetings with other kingdoms."

"Yes. Well he hasn't left the grounds of the castle. I haven't seen him around here much either—but then again, he was never the type to appreciate other people's company."

"Where's my mom?" Clary asked about the only person she could possibly care for in her family.  
"Haven't heard a word from her," he said, much to Clary's disappointment.

"What about Simon? Has he returned?" Clary asked again.  
Mr. Lewis' face paled and his lips trembled. "My son—he's alive?"  
"Wait, are you saying he never made it back?" Clary's eyes then shot towards Jace. He threw his hands up and said, "I swear I helped him in that carriage and it was on its way to the nearest hospital and take him back to Alicante after his wounds were mended. At least, that's what I told the bartender to tell the coach driver."

"Where is this bartender?" Mr. Lewis asked impatiently.  
"buried deep in the snow, decaying." Upon hearing Jace's words, Mr. Lewis looked extremely afraid."He means to say that the bartender is dead." Clary revised.

Mr. Lewis breathed easier now. " No, I haven't seen Simon since he left with you. I hope nothing bad happened to him and I hope he's ok."  
Clary put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. "He'll be fine, Mr. Lewis. Don't worry."

He smiled at her paternally. Clary glanced over at the others and her eyes got caught at Jace again. He was standing by the swords hung on the wall, mesmerized.

Mr. Lewis saw him too.  
"Ah, your boyfriend likes swords, Princess?"  
"Stop saying he's my boyfriend!" Clary almost yelled in anguish.

"That didn't count as a denial, you know." Mr. Lewis winked at her and Clary felt herself shrink in size. She only hoped Jace was too distracted by those swords to notice.

She hoped right. "Yes. May I borrow one?"

Mr. Lewis had one of those big stupid Simon-grins on his face. He led Jace to the back room where he kept a wider range of weapons Jace would find useful.

* * *

Shadowhunter

They stayed in Simon's house the entire day. By night time, Jace was outside, flinging swords and slashing at trees. He was well in his game when he heard a voice say, "He's in his happy place. Don't mind him."

Jace turned to see that it was Magnus. Standing beside him was Clary. She had exchanged the princess look for a fighter's. There were no more complicated frilly dresses—instead, she wore pants and a dark sweater.

Now that Jace could see the shape of her legs—he noted mentally that they were really very _nice_.

Jace couldn't help himself. He's always been one to appreciate a woman in gear.

"Izzy really brought out the vixen in you." Jace said, containing the rapid beating in his chest.  
"I think it suits her." Came Magnus' unneeded comment. " It beats tattered gowns any day, aye?"

"Joke all you want…" another voice said. It was Izzy. She came outside with Simon's father. "But one thing's for sure—Clary looks amazing. Doesn't she, Jace?"

Jace didn't say anything. Clary stiffened and took one gander at herself. "It feels weird wearing pants that hug at my thighs." she said tactlessly.

"Great, now you're giving me fantasies about your thighs." Jace moaned.  
Clary laughed but still managed to look flustered. Jace approached her and tucked a stray hair away from her face.

"So can we infiltrate the base now?" Magnus cut in, yet again.  
"Yes. Best to do it at night when stealth is on our side." Izzy mirrored. Jace had no choice but to step away from Clary and agree with them.  
"Where's Alec?" he asked when they were packing up.  
"He's here!" Alec yelled from inside the house. A few minutes passed and they were already saying goodbye to Simon's dad.

"Thank you for the sword. I'll try to return it in one piece!" Jace called out to him. He laughed; probably didn't realize Jace wasn't joking.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached the wall of the palace. Everything happened so fast. They passed by guards—Izzy took care of them—and kicked through doors. They were already near the throne room—where Clary's father should be—and Jace hasn't even broken a sweat. They reached the main door of the room and around ten guards stood ready to poke at them with spears.

Magnus and Alec took them as Jace led Clary through the entrance; the sound of it bursting open echoed around and entire room.

"The deal is off!" Jace yelled. Then he gasped. The throne was empty and the king was lying on the ground, obviously dead. The queen sat on her chair, gagged and tied down.

A clap sounded over the silence.

"Well done. Albatross actually does have more competent men."  
Jace felt Clary go rigid beside him. He turned to look behind him and he saw a tall guy, almost his age, smiling coyly.  
"Jonathan!" Clary exclaimed. Said person laughed and walked closer to them. Jace drew Clary back from him.

"Father had a feeling I was going to take the throne that night. Remember that, sister? That was the night you were sent to deliver that package for him." He laughed. "Met any new demons you could befriend along the way?"

Jace's eyes flamed with rage. "You sent the nixie blood?"  
Jonathan looked at him and Jace felt chills go through him. This guy had very powerful eyes. They stared deep in your soul and radiated evil.

"Father said I wasn't ready to take the throne yet—I got impatient." He turned to look at his sister now. "He sent you away with the crown, originally. I switched the parcels. He wanted you to escape with it so as to prevent me from taking it. He didn't think I'd think about that? I've been very careful, sister. You think father loved me more, didn't you? You were wrong. I was the biggest threat he's ever had to his kingdom. Knowing that I had the power to overthrow him from his position, he would never give me the crown." He smiled distortedly.

"Well, if only he could see me now. As soon as I dispose of you, I'll formally declare myself King." He snapped his fingers and more people came into the room. Jace recognized them.

"Jace!" Jace turned to see Izzy, Alec and Magnus wrenching to escape from the grasps of their captors.  
"Since when did you get more Albatross guards?" Jace asked Jonathan.  
He only laughed as response. Jace felt like spitting at him.  
"Take them away." Jace was immediately held by the hands and he struggled to gain freedom. Clary was trying to get away too.

"Wait." Jonathan said. The guards fell still. "Leave my sister."  
"No!" Jace screamed. One of the guards hit him on the head and Jace kneeled because of the pain.  
"Jace! Tell them to stop, Jonathan!" Clary begged.  
"Of course." Jonathan snapped his fingers again and the guards stopped hitting him. Jace panted.  
"Take them away."

Before the guards could carry out the order, a huge roar came from the roof. A giant wolf broke through the window and slashed at them.  
"Simon!" Jace heard Clary yell. Jace saw that sitting on top of the giant dog was Simon.

"Come on! Let's go!" he screamed.  
The animal looked very familiar to Jace. Only when he saw its eyes did he realize who it was.

"Luke!" Jace had never been so glad to see his commander. You see, Wolf was Luke's codename because he was a lycanthrope. A werewolf.  
Wolf screeched and pushed Jace using his nose. Jace took Clary's hand and they climbed up Wolf's back. Izzy, Magnus and Alec followed.

Wolf was running for the exit when Jonathan said something that caught Jace's attention.

"I should have done it myself, dear sister."  
"What?" Jace heard Clary say.

"Killed you."

Wolf rammed through another window, and the night welcomed them into its arms.

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**A/N:**

-read and review-

-sleep time: 2:30 am- :D:D


	12. The Proposal

**A/N:** **The Proposal **chapter posted. :) I HAVE NO SCHOOL TOMORROW! :D:D:D:D hahahaha that's probably the reason why this chapter came early ;) Thanks so much for those who reviewed the last chapter, **City of Valentine**. If minor defects and dragging events or events that move to fast occured- blame my thesis paper. BLAME IT. :))

hhahahaha right now it's 11:20 in our time zone. in the AM, naturally. :) I love to stay up late, dont i? :D Anyway, I'd like to get some sleep and all that now. :) I havent had a decent night's sleep since last week. :(

Thanks so much to the lovely reviewers! :d I'd love to mention your names here but I just cant find the energy to do anything productive as of the moment :)

The next chapter will come this weekend- hopefully- and for now, I have dubbed it **Time for Miracles **because I conjured the idea of that chapter while listening to Adam Lambert sing the song with the same title :)

Hope you guys like this update! :)

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**THE NIGHT-ERRAND  
**_/dedicated to City of Bones/_

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Princess

"I should have done it myself, dear sister."  
Clary felt herself go numb all over. "What?" she asked, only expecting the worst from him.  
"Killed you."

"Clary!" Clary couldn't concentrate; not even on Jace's voice telling her to cover her head. They made a face first collision with a mosaic window while trying to make a run for it. The following events were a blur to Clary because she lost consciousness right after.

When she woke up, she was lying down on a soft couch, covers wrapped around her. She felt her entire body throb and there was a bandage on her hand. She sat up and felt very tired. How long has she been asleep? It felt like days, but in fact it was only a few hours.

Clary heard voices near her and she forced her head to turn to look in that direction. Simon was hugging his father tightly, and John Lewis' head was hiding itself in Simon's shoulder. The old timer was crying.

Clary saw Simon look her way, and he parted from their embrace.  
"Where's Jace?" Clary asked him, before he could say anything else.

"Jace?" Simon looked confused. Clary forgot he didn't know his real name yet.  
"Oh, right. I mean Big Meanie." Clary didn't have the energy to say anything more. All she wanted to do right then and there was fall into her bed and cry her heart out. But home wasn't home anymore.

Simon nodded, understandingly. "Outside. Hey, Clary…" Clary never noticed how fast Simon was before, but he definitely was. He was in front of Clary and hugging her before she could even realize he'd moved.

"I'm sorry." he whispered.

Clary put an arm around his neck. "In his own way, I guess my father did care about me. Why else would he want to send me away with the crown if he didn't trust me?" A lot of feelings were occurring in her: remorse, sadness, and a sense of new found freedom. She didn't know how to respond to any of them.

"It only hurts because I got to know that only when he died."  
Simon pulled her away from him and rubbed a tear that was falling from her face. Clary didn't even realize she was even crying. He smiled sadly at her, and then he kissed her forehead.

"You'd better go find your Big Meanie." Simon wasn't exactly Jace's biggest fan so it surprised Clary that he would suggest this. "He always knows how to make you feel better."

Clary stared at him and for a moment he paused.  
"Jace doesn't know anything about me." Clary couldn't shake the feeling that she was partly lying to herself.  
He winked at her and lovingly patted her cheek. At the corner of Clary's vision, she saw Mr. Lewis smile as well.

"Your secret is safe with me, don't worry." Clary didn't understand what on earth Simon was talking about but she just couldn't have the will to be angry at him when he was looking at her with that stupid grin. Clary stood up from the couch and proceeded to go outside, where Simon said, Jace was supposed to be.

The night was still young and everything was peaceful. Clary couldn't begin to imagine how all this would change once Jonathan was in charge. She would never let that happen.

She didn't need to walk a lot more because the Lewis' yard wasn't gigantic or anything. She easily spotted Jace's blonde head sitting underneath the old tree. An older looking man was swinging himself on the makeshift swing.

It was strange, Clary thought. The man was around her father's age but he looked much happier and his cheeks rose and fell every time he laughed. He had dark hair and a nice face. The only thing weird looking about him was that he wore odd looking robes that reminded Clary of church friars. But then again, almost all of Jace's companions were strange.

When she was nearing them, Clary thought they were planning about fighting tactics, or talking about politics—or whatever it is rebellious assassins talked about—but when she saw their faces clearly, she began doubting.

The older man looked joyous and confident, while Jace looked nervous and uneasy.

"Ah, you must be Clary." Clary was surprised by how kind and slow his voice was. She wondered if he and Jace were related or something, even though she highly doubted that. They looked nothing alike—and they certainly sounded nothing alike. Jace was more assertive and sarcastic.

He held out his hand and she put hers in it. He shook it thrice then let go.

"Clary, this is Luke—our commander. Luke, this is Clary—Princess of Alicante." Upon having Jace introduce them, he bowed politely to her and Clary curtsied in acknowledgement.

"He's a werewolf. He was that dog—ouch—that saved us awhile ago." Luke kept hitting Jace's head with his foot.

"Thank you for saving me." Clary gave one more affable curtsy.  
"The pleasure is mine, Princess." Clary broke her focus from him to take one little glance at Jace who was playing with his hands, fussily. What was he so nervous about?

"I'll leave you two alone. It was nice meeting you, Clary." When he passed by her on his way inside, he put one hand on her shoulder and squeezed it slightly. Clary felt warmth go into her and she had the impression that he must be a good father. He knew how to make a kid feel loved.

When he was gone, an awkward silence fell upon them. Clary wondered what it was all about. Jace had never been the type to fidget or be discomfited around her—in fact, he was usually a pompous mordant dictator jerk. Clary sat on the grass in front of him. She couldn't read his expression.

"Remember when you asked me to run away with you?"

Clary felt her heart drop down to her stomach then shoot back up to her brain. "Yes." she said automatically.  
"I remember thinking that the idea was preposterous, stupid, tactless, and pretty much just insane… but now, I'm not so sure." he said.

"Jace, we're about to initiate a war with my brother's army of assassins. Running away isn't the best idea right now." Clary said without thinking.

He laughed in a cute manner—with his lopsided grin and dimples showing. "You really think we can beat all those highly trained killers and your evil brother too?"

"Not 'we'… '_you'_." Clary stated. "I'm practically worthless out there. I'll just be a liability."

Jace looked at her with an expression of disbelief. "You aren't worthless. We could use your mouth as a distraction to the guards."

"My mouth is not a distraction to anybody!" Clary exclaimed.  
Jace smiled and silently said, "It's a distraction to me…"  
Clary said nothing and the whole conversation got awkward again. Since when did they get so… uncomfortable around each other?

"And I'm not thinking about running away with you." Jace said out of the blue. Clary was still having an inner struggle whether to ask a follow up question or not.

She couldn't help it. "You're not?"

"Nope," he said, staring down at his hands. "I realized that you're annoying, talkative, and pretty much the bane of my existence but as much as I want to tear myself away from you, I want nothing more than to spend every single moment of my life keeping you around."

His eyes rose to meet hers. They didn't hold that confident stare anymore or that scary murderous one—tonight, in the presence of the stars, he looked like a regular boy, about to say something very very important.

"What I'm saying is that—what I'm asking is if—"

"What's that?" Clary blurted out, breaking the solemnity of the moment. Her attention was diverted by the little black thing Jace was clutching in his left hand.

Jace stood up and Clary did the same. He unclenched his fists and showed her a small box, about the size of 4 big sugar cubes stacked together.

"This is a box." Jace said.  
"What's it for?" Clary asked.  
"If you'd let me finish, you'll find out." he sounded impatient. Clary pouted but the frown was replaced with a big OH expression when Jace started getting down on one knee.

Clary wanted to say something, but something inside her made her think that whatever Jace was going to say next wasn't worth disrupting.

"Princess, will you marry me?" Clary imagined this was the first time in Jace's life that he'd ever made such a bold request before. His hands shook and his eyes were staring right into hers, expectantly.

"This is usually the part where people answer either yes or no, Princess." Jace was still himself; offering marriage or not.

Clary was too busy staring at the ring but she could feel that he was smiling. "This is the first time I've ever seen you at a loss for words, Cla—" Clary didn't hear what he was going to say next. She didn't want to hear his sarcastic comments or his mockery right now—all she wanted was to have his mouth on hers in one deep and sinfully passionate kiss.

* * *

Shadowhunter

"Clary!" Jace shook her awake but it was no use. The impact with the window had left her out cold. He grabbed her waist and made sure she didn't fall off of Luke as they fell a few stories off the castle wall. The last image he saw inside the castle was the queen bleeding in her throne. They'd have to come back for her, that was certain.

They narrowly escaped the palace and made their way back to the only place they new of in the entire kingdom—Simon's house.

Luke, still in his wolf form, howled a little, trying to get Jace's attention. Jace was only partly paying attention—he was concerned about Clary. What would happen to her if her brother comes looking for them? He had to make sure he couldn't kill her—especially when she was on her own.

They kept a low profile as they crept past homes to reach the small inn at the far end. Once they got there, Luke quickly changed back to human form and knocked on the door.

Mr. Lewis answered, obviously, and Jace was touched by how his eyes lit with tears when he saw his son. It was a very nice father-son moment.

Mr. Lewis welcomed them in, and Luke took the liberty of filling him in on the details. Everyone else went inside to tend to their wounds and settle in.

Jace carried Clary inside, bridal style, and set her on the couch. Magnus was there, and eager to help mend the cut on her arm. Jace left her in good care and proceeded to look around for his teammates.

Nobody seemed to be in hopeless condition—which was good. Izzy was making conversation with Simon and Jace could see how his eyes bulged profously.

Izzy left for the kitchen and Jace approached Simon.

"Interested, man?"  
Simon, who was once caught in a trance, snapped out of it and walks away. Jace laughed.

"Love is a funny thing, isn't it?" Jce turned to meet Luke's face, staring right at him.  
"The way you look at that girl—part annoyance; part attraction—totally supports that idea."

"Is this going to be one of your speeches that would possibly give me a headache? No need of it; I already have one." But as Jace motioned to leave, Luke cut in his path.

"Come with me outside, Shadowhunter. We have matters to discuss." He left ahead and expected Jace to follow. He did. Luke stopped at an old oak tree. A rubber wheel attached to some rope was hanging from one of the branches. Jace had never seen anything like it before.

He watched Luke put his legs inside the wheel and began rocking himself back and forth like a pendulum. Jace sat on the cold grass, amazed by the ingenuity of the device.

"I broke out from Albatross using the Invincibility Ring. It once belonged to one of my teammates. I've never mentioned it to any of you before because I never planned on using it for its true purpose since _that_ day." Jace noted the contraction in Luke's face. It pained him to remember all of his past.

He reached into his jeans pocket and took out a small black box. It was cube-like and even on all sides. It didn't look regal or anything, but Jace could see that Luke really valued it.

"You aren't weak when you love, Jace. That's the truth—though Albatross may have taught you otherwise." His stare drifted to the box. He flicked it open and inside was a pretty green sparkler. It was the most beautiful ring Jace had ever seen. It glittered so much it could've given Magnus a run for his money. The green gem at the center reminded him of Clary's eyes—bright.

"Her name was Joleen."  
Jace's head shot up and he stared at Luke as if the statement confounded him. Luke had a sad smile on his face; his eyes speaking the things his heart wanted to say if it could talk.

Jace listened to his commander as he shared to him about his past. Joleen was his wife. She was a lycanthrope—a werewolf—just like him and during one of their missions, he gave her the ring to protect her from harm.

"She was 6 months pregnant at that time and I didn't want her to go on any mission until the baby was born—but she insisted. She was always unhappy staying in Albatross. She loved to travel to different worlds, and see different sights. It didn't matter to her if we killed people everywhere we went—it didn't matter to me either. We were in love, and we were going to be a family."

Jace said nothing. He didn't know what to say.

"Turns out, the ring only works for lycans when in their human form. When transforming to wolf form, the ring slips off because our paws are too big."

Luke stopped talking for awhile, staring at the ring again, a forlorn expression on his face.

"I should've been looking out for her—she was my teammate and my wife. She and our unborn child died along with Amatis, my sister. That was 19 years ago; only a year had passed, then I became your commander." He clutched the box close to his chest.

"I keep this box as a reminder of her. You'd be amazed that it keeps me sane most of the time. Her memory was what kept me going throughout most of my adult life and I never wanted to part from this thing as long as I breath—but I see the way you look at that girl, and then I begin to think otherwise." Hesitantly, as if savoring the last moments he could have with it, Luke tossed Jace the Invincibility Ring.

Jace looked up at him confusedly.

"Luke, I don't know what you—"

"It's the lycan blood that makes it invincible. If ordinary humans were to wear it, they'd be fine. As long as that ring is slipped in their fingers, they're safe."

_Clary will be safe_. It was as if Luke knew exactly what Jace wanted and gave it to him.  
Jace fiddled with the box, and flipped it open again. He saw the ring and began imagining it on Clary's finger. But thoughts about force fields and protection weren't the first thing that entered his thoughts in relation to it—no, it was wedding bells and her in a pretty bridal gown. And a thought of how he was going to get her to wear it got him.

"Uh, Luke, you were married once right?" he asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

"Yes."

"What does one say when asking one's lover to marry him?" Jace asked; an unwanted rise in his voice.

Luke's lips spread into a smile but he contained it. "Well, one must get down on one knee—like this," he demonstrated. "and omit the words: Will you marry me?"

"That's it?" Jace prompted.

"That's it." Luke said with a knowing smile.

Jace nodded fervently and began fidgeting with the box again. In a matter of seconds, he heard footsteps sounding behind him.

"Speak of the devil." said Luke. Jace didn't turn to look but he knew it was her. It was Clary. Jace introduced them to each other and while the two made small talk, he was trying to organize his thoughts and keep his beating heart in check.

Eventually, Luke said, "I'll leave you two alone." Then he bid them goodbye and walked back into the house.  
Jace couldn't even look at Clary. But he knew what he wanted to say.

"Princess, will you marry me?" Jace did as Luke instructed. Get down on one knee and say the line. He didn't know why he began offering her the box—it sort of felt natural at that point.

Jace felt much more relieved after letting go of that proclamation. He even made a joke about how it was a first for him to see her at a loss for words—but then she started kissing him hard on the lips and he got lost in that.

Her lips felt warm on his and because of the pressure she was putting him, they both fell back. The grass was cold against their backs but the kiss just kept on getting deeper. Clary's fingers filled itself with tufts of his hair and he had the pleasure of touching those legs of hers that he admired so much.

Soon, the kiss began exploring more horizons—Jace inserted his tongue in her mouth and she let him in, without condition. It was pleasurable, and most definitely a sexual turn on for them both.

They rolled around on the ground for a bit, before Jace heard Clary gasp. His senses returned and he noticed he was unbuttoning her jeans.

"Jace," her voice was husky and obviously still entranced in the thrill of romance. "Don't you think we're going at this pretty fast?"  
"Which this? The marriage-this, or the _this_-this?" he motioned to her unbuttoned pants on his last words.

"Both." Clary sat up and he did the same. They stared at each other, still close and touching, before Jace let out a small chuckle.  
"I'm not really one to talk about living life in the slow lane, Clary."  
"But did you mean it?" her voice cracked.

"Telling you you're annoying—yes." Catching her reaction, Jace quickly made a save. He cupped her face in his hands and smiled lovingly at her.  
"Telling you that I want to spend my life with you in bonds of holy matrimony—definitely."

"But—we're going to go and—war, Jace—when are we going to plan a wedding if—" Clary was panicking; and when she panicked, she talked much more than usual.

"Sh," Jace assured her. "We have the ring. We have the two important people in the celebration and we have a venue."

"We do?"  
Jace nodded. "So do you want this side of the yard—or that one?"  
Clary looked bewildered, but then she laughed and Jace saw in her face that she was thrilled by the prospect of having a wedding right at this moment.

"What about the best man, and the lady in waiting?"  
"Alec is my best man. Simon can be your lady in waiting." Jace said, pulling her closer.  
"The priest?" Clary said, in a fit of giggles.  
"Magnus has been around for thousands of years—I'm sure he can cook something up."

"Jace, I'm not joking about this!" Clary had already tears in her eyes.  
"I'm not either." Jace wiped them away. "I have had the misfortune of falling in love with you. Get used to it."

"Is that an 'I do' I hear?" The voice was Magnus'. Jace turned to look at the entire group standing outside the house, staring at the two of them there. Luke was the one with the biggest grin.

"Princess, Princess Talks A lot, Clary… I ask you again—in the presence of all these spectators—will you be my wife?" Jace took her hand in his.

"Meanie, Big Meanie, Jace…" she took the box he still kept in his hand and held it against her heart. Jace felt it beat. "I respond to your question—in the presence of all these annoying bystanders—yes, I would very much like to be."

"Well, it's official then!" came Luke's bellow. "Let me propose this night to Jace and Clary!"  
Everyone exclaimed a big "Hurrah!". But in the end, their voices didn't matter much to the two. They were already sharing a kiss again.

* * *

**A/N:**

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	13. Time for Miracles

**A/N:** **Time for Miracles **chapter :D hahahaa as much as I love updating this fast, next week, I have to stick back to the update only on weekends rule :( Since normal school hours next week! :((

Thanks so so so much to the lovely people who've kept on reading my story since the beginning :) thanks so much for being so faithful in me! :D Hahaha I wish I had the time to thank each and everyone one of you but school-duty calls and i hate it! :((

haha thanks again for those who found my last final a/n funny ;) hahahaa i felt like doing something like that. :)  
the next chapter im gonna post by next weekend is called **Final Battle **:)

* * *

**THE NIGHT-ERRAND  
**_/dedicated to City of Bones/_

_

* * *

_

Shadowhunter

Jace had absolutely no idea what he was doing. Either Izzy or Luke kept flinging him towards different places in Simon's small home—making him memorize lines, telling him where to go and what to do. Right at the moment, he was standing in front of a mirror in the hallway, dressed in a lux suit. He was adjusting his tie—which was about impossible to knot—as Luke oriented him on the many things he should know about and consider before a marriage ceremony.

"At least one of her family members must give you their consents to take her hand in matrimony by means of walking her down the isle."

"Luke— her father is dead, her mother is tied and gagged, and her brother is a mass murdering killer who wants her dead." Jace stated, bluntly.

"So I guess having one of them give her a good-luck speech during the reception is out of the question, huh?"

Jace laughed as response but it quickly faded; replaced with nerves and anxiety. Luke sensed the tension and placed one hand on Jace's shoulder. He was wearing a tidy grey suit. His hair was neat too and he said affectionately, "Hand in there, kid. Honestly, I think you're too young to get married—but then again, you were trained to face life's hardest adversities… which, by the way, is the perfect description for a guy's married existence."

"Getting married is hard?" Jace felt like a little boy again; asking about things that were well out of his scope of understanding.  
"Not _Getting married_—_Being_ married. That's hard." Luke said, as if speaking from experience.

"Loving her isn't enough, Jace—you need to provide for her too. Make her happy, and give her a life far from what she could possibly dream of."

"I got the last one down, already." Jace said, with that cocky air circulating around him; but inside him, he felt a little punch in his ego. "The thing is; I don't know what I'm supposed to provide her with. She's a princess, for crying out loud. She was practically born with a silver spoon. There's nothing I can give her that she already doesn't have."

Jace said, though it pained him to.

"Well, for starters, you can give her a family." A wicked smile was on Luke's face now and Jace felt more lost than he's been since Izzy made him try on that ridiculous suit.

"I don't get it. Why are you grinning?" Jace demanded.  
"Ahaha, right. Never heard of a Honeymoon yet, Shadowhunter?" Luke was taunting him, and if Jace knew what he was talking about he would've taunted back.  
Unfortunate for Jace, he had to give Luke the satisfaction of winning this round. "No. What is that?"

"A Honeymoon is a special night you share with your newly wed wife. You two change from being two different individuals to becoming one. It's a special connection." Luke said, dramatically.

When Jace gave no sign of comprehension, Luke added,  
"In short—you two have approved marital sex." Jace's eyes went huge and Luke gave a hearty laugh. "But rather than your potency, you can also give her the chance to see many places, Jace."

"What do you mean?"

Luke shifted his weight to another foot, and looked at Jace expectantly. "Once this is all over, you are planning to take her with you back to Albatross, aren't you?"

"I haven't thought about going back." Jace admitted.

"Well, you can't possibly stay here—Jace, you don't belong here." Luke said. "This place is old fashioned and the people here wouldn't understand us. The only place people like us are safe is in Albatross."

"You're wrong. Even in Albatross, nobody understood me. And I've never felt safe there. Only loneliness and self hatred for what I do. I don't want Clary to see that place, being the way it is: a center for juvenile killers."

"So what do you plan on doing once this is all over?" Luke asked, in all seriousness.

Jace paused, and reflected.  
"I know my decision was rash and a spur of the moment thing—but,"

When Clary and Izzy came from behind the corridor, Jace's words were lost. As he saw her wearing a pretty white dress, smiling and laughing with Izzy, he didn't remember doubts of proper choices. He saw her, the annoying talkative princess that would soon be his wife, and everything else seemed to make perfect sense now.

"She's ready." Izzy said proudly.  
"Yes, I can see that." Luke said. He approached Clary and gave her a hug. After that he asked to be excused, so he could go tell Magnus the bride as ready.  
"Shall we go?" Jace asked Clary, offering her his arm.  
She declined. "Simon isn't here yet."  
Jace gave a small chuckle. "Your lady in waiting—right."

"I heard that." From the other side of the room, Simon emerged. He was dressed in a black suit, as was most of them, and his hair looked fresh. He looked irregularly white, which sort of made Jace a little suspicious.

"Now that I think about it, you never told us how you met Luke in the first place, Lady." Jace told Simon, hinting obvious misgiving in his voice.

Simon looked taken aback by the statement but he remained composed. "While on my way back—a group of bandits ambushed the carriage. After killing the driver, they wanted to kill me too—that's when Luke came in. He helped me escape."

"Is that the only thing he did?"

The lump in Simon's throat moved and Jace was now near certainty that he was hiding something.

"Simon, is there something you aren't telling me?" Clary asked, worried. She must have sensed it too.

"I want to talk to him." Jace was surprised that Simon looked towards him when he said this. Jace flashed an It's Ok look towards Clary and then he and Simon moved away from the gang towards a more private area.

They moved to an empty hallway.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Jace said with a grin.  
Simon looked at him seriously and said, "I'm a vampire."

Jace raised a brow and Simon took a deep breath. "I don't want to tell Clary—not tonight when it's her wedding night. I told you, because generally, I don't care if it troubles you or not."

"Frankly, I don't know you well enough to give your personal life any value." Jace replied.

"Exactly why I chose to tell you." Simon drew closer and said in a low voice, "Look, I was telling the truth ok? That's all you need to know. I was attacked, something happened, Luke saved me, it's all done."

"No it isn't. A vampire attacked you. Why?" Jace may have said he wouldn't give a shit about Simon's life, but if this was something Clary could be concerned about, he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"Now isn't the right time to—" Simon protested.

"Actually, it is the best time to explain, vampire." Jace said with a smirk. "Prove your worth to me, and you might actually be helpful in a battle scenario."

"I don't plan on becoming someone like you." Simon almost spat.  
"Why? It's fun to be me. I'm handsome, charming, and an all around good guy." Jace said.

Jace scoffed. "Ok Ok—I was attacked by this girl named Solice. That's what Luke called her at least. She turned out to be hunting Luke down, and I was in the way. The carriage driver was killed—they sucked out all his blood—and they wanted me as a dessert. They were only able to take a few sips 'till Luke came by and bit their heads off. Luke let me drink his blood then he introduced himself as an assassin from Albacross—"

"It's Albatross." Jace interrupted.

"Whatever." said Simon. "Anyway, he helped me change from being a fledgling to a vampire. It took a few days for me to get used to the ways of the night. It's harder for me to travel by day—burned by the sunlight and all. We decided to go together because we were heading the same way. He was going to Alicante because that's where he heard a guy named Shadowhunter was heading. At first I thought he was his brother or something. We reached Alicante by the sunrise and I had to be hidden. We hid inside one of the secret caves in the palace—and then we overheard some things: Plans, thoughts of conquest, dictatorship and supremacy. I recognized the voice to be Jonathan's, Clary's brother.

"I was scared at that moment; scared at what would happen if they found us… which they did. A bunch of powerful people took us down—even with Luke in wolf mode—and kept us in the dungeon. By night time that same day, we overheard the passing guards going by battle tactics to take down a 'seriously dangerous kid'. They were gossiping about her having a whip that could burn through your body.

"Then Luke was like on fire. He began tearing at the bars of the cell with his claws until it raked. We escaped the prison—me riding on his back. With my enhanced vampire hearing skills—I detected Clary's voice screaming 'Jace!' somewhere not far from where we were. Luke was erratic when I told him this. We rushed to wherever I could trace that static to and the best way to get to that link was if we went through the window. And you know the rest."

After Simon's long story, Jace had nothing to say except, "You know vampires and werewolves are natural born enemies."  
Simon groaned. "I wasted about 20 minutes explaining that entire account to you—and that's all you can say?"  
"There's nothing I can comment on. Luke was never fond of the vampire clans back in Albatross—Solice is the real name of the assassin Ultima Fang." Jace relayed.

Simon still looked annoyed, but the curve of his eyebrows look relaxed. "Glad that's over with."

"Well," Jace clapped his hands. "This has been an interesting conversation. I'm thinking Clary doesn't need to know this?"  
Simon paused. "I'll tell her myself. But not tonight. She deserves to be happy for one night."

"What, she was never happy before?" Jace quirked.  
Simon laughed quietly. "No, not really. Any plan on changing that, Shadowhunter?"

This was one of the very few times Simon and Jace played nice around each other. The wall of jealousy and competitiveness felt invisible to them at that moment.

Jace smiled at him and said, sternly, "Clary is a girl who deserves more than just one night to be happy."

Simon seemed content with that answer. They were walking back to the two girls—Clary and Izzy. Clary looked worried and irked at the same time and Jace had never seen anything more beautiful.

"You two were keeping the bride waiting!" Izzy exclaimed in anger at Jace. Jace only laughed and offered Clary his arm again. She took it, and then they began making their way to the garden area. Simon and Izzy, arms linked as well, followed them.

The place made Jace appreciate how beautiful the world really was, but he's a guy—so he didn't really see the details. What he saw was the altar and Magnus, shimmering uncontrollably in the center of it.

Jace was about to tell Clary that he was sorry he couldn't get the consent of any of her family members—by their situation, who could?—but as he turned to her, he saw Simon's dad already approaching her.

He smiled gratefully as Mr. John Lewis III offered his hand to the princess. She giggled and took it, releasing Jace's.

Jace strode to the altar, Alec already there.

"What took you so long?" Alec asked, obviously upset by Jace's lateness.  
"Had a talk with Simon." That's all Jace told him, then he was looking at the people walking down the isle towards the front. First came Izzy and Simon, then Luke, and then, with Mr. Lewis by her left, Clary.

It was a small and simple wedding but Jace would've traded his entire lifetime just to live in it over and over again.

"Does anyone want to say something before these two are wed?" said Magnus, the glittering priest.  
Simon raised his hand and all eyes turned to him.

"Take care of my best friend." was all he said before sitting down again.  
Jace swore he saw tears in Clary's eyes when she heard him say this, and he nodded in promise.

"Alright," Magnus quipped. "Now if all things are said—let me ask; Jace, do you take Clary, Princess of Alicante, to be your lawfully wedded wife—till death do you part, through sickness and in health?"

Jace scanned the crowd and taking in all their expressions of encouragement.

"I do."

* * *

Princess

"I do enjoy a good wedding!" an ecstatic Izzy exclaimed as she took a bite from her food during the reception. They all ate Mr. Lewis' special tuna casserole and beef stake.

Clary recalled the saying of vows and she remembered being very very nervous—but coupled with that was fear. Fear that Jace might say no and back out from the wedding at the last minute. That fear was extinguished when she heard him say those two valuable words she'll probable cherish for the rest of her life.

_I do._

After he said it, she found the strength to say it herself. She still needed to get used to the idea of being married to him. It all seemed like one big dream to her—and she wished and hoped she didn't have to wake up.

She and Jace were sitting beside each other, fingers intertwined underneath the table. Jace was weaving slow circles on her palm and she found this relaxing.

Everyone was having a blast when a spasm of energy crash landed right in the middle of the festivity. Jace groaned.

"And on my wedding day, too?" Clary could tell Jace wasn't surprised to find himself under attack letting go of her hand, he quickly led her to shelter and grabbed his sword from its scabbard.

Clary watched as more bombs began falling from out of nowhere and Jace and his crew did the best they could to avoid being hit by them.

"Come out, you coward!" Izzy yelled, in the midst of all the pandemonium going on. Suddenly, the attacks stopped and a man, dressed in green, apparated in front of them.

"Kronos." Jace said, plainly. "Come to pay congratulations?"

"You have quite a nerve, celebrating while the King is mourning for the death of his sister." said Kronos, with a wicked smile.

"Tell your _king_ his sister is still alive, and will remain that way as long as we're around." Jace said with spite.

"King Jonathan wishes to leave a message as well. He will release his army upon all of Alicante, killing every single one of its residents—if you do not choose to surrender yourselves to him by sundown tomorrow."

Clary saw Jace, along with his teammates, grow tense. Jace looked intently at his commander, who was in wolf mode, as if seeking his opinion.

Clary said nothing all throughout the event. She was either too shocked for words or completely out of her senses.

"If you do not pledge allegiance to him tomorrow, by the said time of meeting, he will instead turn his army of mass assassins on you and your gang. You may be a good fighter, Shadowhunter—but hundreds of us against less than 20 of you is definitely a win-lose situation, don't you agree?" Clary heard Kronos tell Jace. He sounded quite pompous and confident.

He laughed evilly before disappearing out of sight in a flash. Once he was gone, Luke let out a big howl.

"Yeah, I know the feeling." Clary heard Jace say, with a sigh.

She watched them retreat, passing by the rubble that used to be tables or chairs. Jace looked tired as he took Clary's hand again and held her close.

"I think everyone needs to go to sleep now." Luke grunted, back in human form.

Clary nodded against Jace's chest. Everyone went into their rooms silently—nobody said a word—when they were all gone, Jace and Clary were left standing there in each other's arms.

Clary heard Jace's heart beat faster.  
"So…" Jace said, in an attempt to be casual.  
"So…" Clary mimicked.

"We're sleeping—"  
"—in the—"  
"—same room—"  
"Right?"

Jace and Clary looked surprised at how they had finished each other's sentences. Clary went pink immediately. The idea of sleeping in a bed with Jace beside her was still unregistered in her head.

If Jace had felt nervous, Clary could never tell. He was calmly leading her upstairs, and into a spare room Simon's father had let them borrow for the night. He was graceful as he took his steps and not once did he appear to be anxious or afraid.

Jace was always like that: very contained and competent; as opposed to Clary, who was mentally hyperventilating at that moment.

Clary stood by the bed and began playing with her hair, and her dress. Jace stood beside her and looked at his fingers.

"Jace?" Clary said, to break the silence.  
"Yeah?"

"I-if something bad happens to you tomorrow…" Clary felt bile rise up her throat. It pained her to think she'd lose her husband just a day after they got married.

"If you…" she started, but his lips cut in. Clary was initially shocked by his move, but eventually, she gave him entrance to her mouth. She parted her lips so his tongue could slide inside. He kissed her passionately and hard, that Clary could barely contain her balance. Resulting, she fell—with him—on the soft bed.

Clary didn't know what was bubbling up inside her, but now they rose to the surface in full force. She traced his face with her fingers and soon, curled her fingers with his blonde hair. He deepened the kiss and before she realized it, she was moaning in utmost pleasure.

This triggered something in Jace; like a light switch going on. He took her legs and began wrapping them around his torso. Clary abided, fueled by passion and emotion too. His hands, which were carefully staying by Clary's waist, began moving towards her hips, then her breasts.

Clary gasped, feeling his fingers against it. He stopped and looked at her. There was obvious lust in his eyes, and if Clary could see herself in a mirror, she was very sure hers did as well.

"I love you." Clary said, in a dream- like trance.

Jace smiled. "I love you, too. And don't worry. I'll be fine tomorrow. Promise me you're going to wear your wedding ring tomorrow—it's also an invincibility ring, so it'll really help keep you safe throughout—alright? Oh and…"

Jace would've gone through a lot of precautions, battle strategies and defense tactics if Clary hadn't taken the initiative to push him on the bed again. This time, she was the one on top.

"You really talk a lot." Clary's voice took an edgy, tempting tone. And she never even knew she could emit such a sound.  
Jace looked stunned, but turned on all the more.

"I like my wife assertive." He said, stroking her leg. "Now, would you mind fulfilling those fantasies I had about the things your thighs could do?"

"What do you think they can do?" Clary said, her face close to his.  
"I think they can do a lot of things—in many different positions."

Jace took her mouth again and Clary felt herself mold in him. His hands went up her skirt, and she felt a breeze hit her when he slid her underwear lower and lower. Clary moaned with sheer pleasure.

What events happened next were dominated by pure instinct. Jace found his way up her skirt, then to the zipper of her dress, and finally to her bra strap. He was carefully undressing her entire body, and Clary was still fumbling with his pants.

Jace vibrated into a laugh and began helping Clary with it. Once it was open, Jace pushed her on the bed, so this time she was below him. Clary wrapped her legs around his waist as his mouth suckled on her left breast. His right hand was busy kneading her corresponding breast.

"Jace!" Clary cried out. Jace paused again, and Clary watching his head lift itself from her chest area to meet her eyes.  
He smiled lovingly at her while Clary was panting rapidly.

"Why the hell did you stop?"

Jace laughed, his cute dimples showing again, and kissed her on the lips. Then he was inside her.

The aftermath of a wonderful sexual experience left Clary bone tired. After the first climax, Clary and Jace didn't just stop there. No, they did it nine times before finally calling it quits for the night, and snuggling in each other's naked arms.

While they laid there, both still breathing heavily, Clary wanted to ask Jace something.

"Jace?"  
"Yeah?" Jace said, his eyes half closed.  
Clary shifted so she was closer to him. He drew her nearer and rested his lips on her forehead.

"Do you believe in miracles?" Clary asked.  
Jace took a moment to ponder about it. "No."

Before Clary could comment, he added, "I believe that what we do on earth is our own choice. That what happens happens because we allow it to."

Clary remained still.  
"Why do you ask?" Jace said, silently.  
"I had a dream before—Simon thought it was dumb—that I would make love to a person I've never met."

Clary let out a small laugh.

"I don't think it was even about having sex, per se. I think it had something to do with my want to take more adventure in my life. Make more mistakes. Live a non chained life. I wanted to be free, and be a rebellious girl, for once in my life. I wanted to explore and see different things, feel different things, and do something I'm not really sure is reasonable or with sense." Jace said nothing in response to her words. It was ok, Clary didn't expect him to.

"I think miracles happen, Jace. I've done nothing to change my life in the past. I was too scared of it. And then you came, and I began taking every risk flinging itself in front of me."

"That isn't a good thing." Jace said, with a playful smile.  
"For you maybe," Clary rested her head in the crook of his neck. "Meeting you that one night was one of the best things that ever happened in my life."

"What are the other best things?" Jace shifted so he was on top of her again. There was a naughty look in his sexy eyes.

Clary could recall a lot, but one thing's for sure; what they did next was definitely top of the list.

* * *

**A/N:**

Well, i tried my best to make a steamy scene. dont know if it hit the bull's eye. :)) you tell me! (review!) hahahaha well, there's that. ;) hope you guys like it enough to review and continue reading! :D

take care guys!


	14. Final Battle

**A/N:** **Final Battle **chapter post! :D Yay! Thanks so much to those who review this story, and this chap will be (again) a 2 part thing. BUT i may only be able to post on the next weekend again.. depending on my schedule.

IM SO SORRY THAT THIS CHAPTER IS ONE WEEK LATE :(( I had so much to do last weekend that I didn thave time to do anything fun at all! REAL LIFE STINKS! huhuhu

Well, I have free time NOW (tomorrow, I have to go to a damn seminar. Im the cartoonist at our school newspaper ;) hehehe) so best make the most of it!

I'd like to say that my attempt at a steamy scene was absolutely EPIC FAILURE. :(( I tried reading it again and it wasnt pretty *fail*  
hahahahah well, i hope this chapter is better- or er, less horrible :))

Read and review ok? they make me happy! :D  
Well, here's the updated chappie, read read read...

* * *

**THE NIGHT-ERRAND  
**_/dedicated to City of Bones/_

_

* * *

_

Princess

Clary put on the battle gear Izzy set for her, the very next morning. Jace was already downstairs, going through different strategies with his teammates. They were all preparing for twilight; the time King Jonathan's condition expired.

Clary fixed herself and got ready to leave the room. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Simon standing at the other side.

"Simon!" said Clary.

He was like a stone statue there; unmoving. His lip curved into a small smile, and he said, "He told me to get some food in you once you woke up."

"Jace?" Clary asked, already alking down the aisle toward the stairs. Simon fell into step beside her.

"Who else?" Simon said a matter-of-factly.

He accompanied her to the kitchen. A plate was already set at the dining table, and several dishes where laid around it. Clary sat down on a chair and began filling her plate with different samples, but something seemed odd about the scenario. She looked at Simon and saw him standing by the wall, watching her.

"Would you like some, Simon? I'm sure there's another plate." Clary offered, but Simon declined.

"I already…uh… ate." His tone alone assured suspicion.  
For a while there was a huge gap of silence and tension between them that Clary couldn't take.

"There's something you're not telling me, Simon. What is it?" Her mind began conjuring up different series of imaginary horrors that might have plagued Simon or caused him to neglect eating—thus becoming malnourished. _Maybe that was why he was so pale all the time_, Clary thought worriedly.

Clary shrugged his shoulders and puffed, "Clary, it isn't something to worry about."  
"If it's about my best friend then, yes, it's something to worry about!"

Simon looked at her for awhile but he didn't say anything. After that silence exchange, he turned to look at his feet, a solemn expression on his face. Clary was almost about to give up the idea that he would say something again, but then,

"Your boyfriend—husband—wants me to fight tonight."

And just like that, Clary dropped her spoon, and she almost screamed, "That Big Meanie! What is he thinking asking you to fight against deadly assassins? He's trying to get you killed or something? I'm going to go give him a piece of my mind. Just he wait, I'll—"

Clary was already getting out of her seat, when a cold hand fell upon her shoulder. Simon looked down at her, a serious but compassionate look on his face.

"Clary, it's ok."  
"How is it ok? It is not—"  
An unsuspected chuckle came from Simon. "He's right. You do talk a lot." he almost said to himself more than to her.

Clary scoffed. "Since when did you two get along?" She was still partially pissed off at Jace and wife or not, she was going to give him one huge sermon next time she saw him.

Clary was so caught up in her rage that she didn't notice Simon's features tighten at her words. "I agreed to fight, you know. He didn't force me into it. I think I might be of some help."

"By what? Being an appetizer? They're assassins, Simon—they—"  
"I know what they are. Cant you just trust me?"

The way Simon looked at her, reminded her of Jace a little. A secret sort of confidence that she couldn't understand seemed to radiate from him, and she hated him for throwing the 'Do you Trust Me?' line.

"Simon I don't want to lose you." Clary meant it.  
Simon gave her a smile. "You won't. I'll still be even after you die."

"Wait, so you're saying I'll die before you?" Clary meant it as a joke but Simon gave her one small smile again and patted her head, affectionately. He never answered her.

"Let go of my wife, infidel." Simon didn't let go of Clary's head, but he did turn around. Jace, who had his arms crossed at his chest, looked taunting and playful.

Clary's previous rage at him somehow depleted and she couldn't help but laugh. Simon shot him a triumphant look. Jace raised a brow at Simon who only laughed at him.

"We have less than 20 hours before the big battle. Go learn the basics, newbie. If you're careful, you'll get out of this alive—or in your case, semi."

Simon flashed him a look that seemed to be accompanied with a grin. Clary didn't understand what was so amusing, or what the joke was. Simon was laughing, but nothing seemed funny to her.

Simon didn't look at Clary, but he passed Jace and headed out of the kitchen.  
Jace and Clary were alone.

"I can't believe you're making him fight! They're going to breeze through him! He's only human!" Clary wailed.  
Jace chuckled. Her screams meant nothing to him, he looked like he was hearing whale songs at the beach.  
He moved towards her and gave her a peck on the forehead.  
"Ah. Good Morning to you too."

"Don't ignore the topic!" Clary fought his hold on her but Jace had her cornered to a side of the counter.  
"Your friend isn't as weak as you think he is, Clary. You already ate?"

Clary tried to stay angry, or keep a poker face, but Jace's face was so close to hers, she found it hard to concentrate on breathing alone, let alone emotions of antagonism towards him.

Dejectedly, she replied, "Yeah. You?"  
Jace considered the plate. "Nah. Don't have the time."

Clary's rage evaporated again, and replaced with concern. She freed herself from his imprisonment, and went over to the pantry. She looked for some pans and materials, and no sooner than later, began fixing him up an omelet.

It didn't take more than a few minutes, and when she was done, she gave the plate to Jace.

"Eat."  
"You can cook?" Jace said, impressed.  
"Were you not paying attention in the last few minutes?" She said, her back turned from him. She was mixing him some juice when she felt a warm hug envelop her from behind.

Clary couldn't help but integrate herself in his arms.  
"Will you be even angrier if I say yes?" Jace pressed his lips to her neck, and Clary shivered.

She never got to answer that question because when she turned around and met his lips, it is assumed you already know what happens next.

* * *

Shadowhunter

Time was flying fast. By the time everyone was already going over plans and battle moves, the sun was already beginning to set. In a few hours, they would have to move out towards the palace. Everyone was already anxious for the battle.

It was decided that Mr. Lewis and Clary would stay out of the battle, and take shelter in the safe house until the fight was over. Himself, Alec, Izzy, Magnus, Luke and Simon would fight the army of assassins and Jonathan.

Jonathan would definitely expect them to pull a surprise attack so it was unwise to sneak up on them He probably had every corner or the castle guarded. So the plan was that some would go at him head first, while others attempted to lessen the guards from the rear. Jace and Magnus would be the ones to face the king during sundown while Luke and Simon would go from the back. Jace and Magnus would serve as distractions for the king while Luke and Simon try to kill off some of the army. They both had magical abilities (super speed, super strength, etc) so it wouldn't be hard to beat the normal human guards. Izzy and Alec would assume post from a distance, since they were best effective when they were in long ranges from their enemies. They would slowly and silently take out the Albatross guards that were strategically put in places far from the King's eye, to avoid being seen.

This battle was in uneven standings. The opposing side had numbers, but their side had skills. Jace was confident that if done right, they could win this.

Jace had the best face-to-face combat skills so naturally he would be put frontliner—and if anything were to go wrong, Magnus had his magical force fields and other stuff and serve as a defense.

The sky began turning bright orange, and everyone was packing their weapons, stretching their bodies, and praying.

"Jace." Clary's voice entered Jace's left ear. He turned to see her looking at not his face, but his hand.  
She looked upset. "You're not wearing your wedding ring." she said.

Jace chuckled. Of all the things in the world she could say to her husband who was going out to fight more than a thousand warriors, she asks him why he wasn't wearing a wedding ring.

"I didn't have one from the beginning." He touched her hair, putting loose strands in place. "It's alright, though. I wouldn't wear it to the battle, anyway—I wouldn't risk it getting lost."

Clary looked sad for a moment but she nodded and hugged him for a long time. While they were in that embrace, she whispered, "Come back to me."

Jace felt a pang in his heart, and he fought to keep the reason for living in his head. He squeezed her then let her go.

He looked over at Simon's dad who was a few meters away, holding his son, and gave him a 'Go' signal. Mr. Lewis nodded, and took Clary's hand and led her away. When they were gone, safely hidden in an underground passage beneath the Lewis household, everyone advanced to the palace.  
Jonathan was already waiting for them.

"I don't suppose you've come to surrender, Shadowhunter?" He bellowed from his throne.

Jace and Magnus came forward, cautiously. The others were probably already doing as planned. Jace scanned the crowd surrounding him. He recognized most of them.

There was Riley, a.k.a Diamond Skin. He had rock hard and sharp skin that could go through 400 cinderblocks. Kelzo, or HypnotiK, was granted the power to hypnotize people as long as you were 20 feet near him. He was the brother of Reaper. Jane, also known as DarkWitch, was once Magnus' apprentice. She went wayward and began wanting more power, and aspired to beat her superior. Magnus humiliated her in an assembly by striping her of her magical abilities for more than 12 hours. She was a few years younger than Magnus, but she looked that of a 13 year old blonde girl.

They weren't the only Albatross assassins there. Many more were staring at them with angry, and some with fearing expressions on their faces.

Jace looked at him, with a mirthful smile. "Well I don't suppose you deployed such a huge number of killers if you thought we would, now would you _Prince_?"

Upon hearing the mediocre title, Jonathan's eyes burned with anger, but his face looked happy, in contradiction.

"Well done," He mockingly clapped his hands. Then he gave one wicked smirk, and raised his head high; the crown that once belonged to his father shown brightly on top of his demonic head.

"You just gave me a reason to kill you."

* * *

**A/N:**

The continuation of this chapter will be posted by next week (PLEASE! let me be free next week!) and it will be called **The End ***assume AWWing here*

For those of you who dont want this story to come to a close yet, dont be disappointed! :) The next chapter is coming soon, and I'm sure I'll play with more stories sometime in the future! :)

thanks so much reviewers! i love love love love LOOOOVe all of you :D  
Thanks for all the love you've given me~ you guys made this story as much as i did ;)

till next update!


	15. The End

**A/N**: AND I HAVE RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD! :D Hello, Fanfiction! Long time no see :)hahahahah I'm so sorry it took so long! I've just been super busy! :(( I havent had time to do anything and inspiration really hasnt hit me :(

Anyway, thank you so much for all the support everyone's given this story :) I love you all! We're already nearing the end of this story (Awww) :D and it has been a blast making this! :D I hope you guys like this chapter called **The End**!

Oh, and do excuse the length. :))

* * *

**THE NIGHT-ERRAND**  
_/dedicated to the City of Bones/  


* * *

_

Princess

Mr. Lewis' hands quivered as he poured tea into Clary's cup. Clary sat in front of a small table, the paleness of her hands illuminated by the flickering candle light. Candles were set in different corners of the small underground hut; this place served as a sanctuary for all the metals Mr. Lewis used in making weapons. It now served a purpose of keeping them safe.

Clary was impatient, worried and afraid, and Mr. Lewis wasn't any less. It had been a long wait, and throughout the time, they heard nothing from the others who had gone into battle. They simply stayed inside the safehouse as Jace had ordered them to.

At that point, Clary was already beginning to think about possible outcomes for the battle. She and Mr. Lewis had talked about it earlier, just to break the silence, but giving predictions and premonitions did little to ease their fears for their loved ones.

Mr. Lewis was probably thinking about Simon; his son was all he had left as family, losing him, well, would be unbearable for any father. Clary wanted so much to tell Mr. Lewis it was all going to be okay, but something always caught at her throat and made her think _Who was she kidding? _She certainly had no control over who died and who lived. She was afraid for Jace. It wasn't about who was stronger anymore; who was prey and who was predator; it was about surviving a battle against thousands of killer-assassins and even Jace couldn't take all of them on. Clary clapped her hands together and began muttering silent prayers.

It wasn't just about Jace…  
Simon… Izzy… Magnus… Alec… Luke… Everyone,  
All they had to do was survive—Clary didn't care if they won or not—she just wanted the people she loved to come home alive.

She snuck a glance at Mr. Lewis and wondered if that's all he wanted too.

In the middle of the silence, a big thud came from the door. Mr. Lewis stopped pouring tea and stood very still. Clary didn't dare rise from her seat, and her blood began to get cold.

Another knock resounded, this time, a little more forcefully and the hair on Clary's arms stood erect. She kept on mumbling her prayers, even as the door was evidently being pushed open compellingly by someone on the other side.

One giant push and the lock came loose. Mr. Lewis dropped his teapot and, though quivering, stood in front of Clary, protecting his Princess.

The next push sent the lock flying off, and as the door flung open, a huge towering man bellowed down at them. It was dark, but Clary could see that he was really bloody. He came from the battle, no doubt.

"Princess must come with Diamond Skin." He referred to himself in the third person. Clary gasped when he grabbed Mr. Lewis and threw him unto a wall. Clary evaded his attempts to grab her. He was big and strong, but he was slow— in both physical and mental aspects of a human being.

But Clary couldn't escape him any longer. He managed to catch at the hem of her dress and clutching on to that, he dragged her towards him. She proceeded on kicking and screaming. He hauled her up on his left shoulder and began walking outside.

He stopped suddenly. Clary saw that Mr. Lewis was at his feet, hitting the giant man with various metals. The man flicked him away like he'd do with a fly. Mr. Lewis hit the table and fell unconscious.

Diamond Skin, as he called himself, came over to the old man and lifted his gigantic foot.

"No! I'll go with you! Just don't hurt him!" Clary cried. Diamond Skin seemed to understand this. He retracted his foot, and sprinted out of the door.

The ride was bumpy and clary felt very uncomfortable, hoisted on his shoulders like that. His shoulder blades were pointy and irritated her so, but she didn't dare complain. She knew better than to provoke him, though he was sort of stupid. Finally, Clary heard crashing sounds. She cocked her head to the side, and she saw a silhouette of the castle. Against the dark sky, lights of different colors shot from the ground, as well as noise of screams and swords clashing filled the silence of the night. The battle was still going on, and Clary was being brought into it.

Clary was worried. Diamond Skin was on her brother's side—the fact he managed to find her in the safehouse meant one of her friends failed to bar his way. It could be Simon… or Izzy…or worse, Jace! Any of them could be lying on the cold ground, bleeding to death at that second!

"Hey, idiot! Remember me?" Clary turned to the direction where the voice came from. From a steep slope, a shadow pounced on top of Diamond Skin and knocked the big guy to the ground. Clary stumbled and fumbled her way away from him. But unfortunately, Diamond Skin caught at her hair and pulled her towards him.

"No leave Princess! King wants to see you!" He growled, forcing Clary to come closer.  
"You've addressed him improperly, yet again. Are you seriously that stupid?" said the voice mockingly. Diamond Skin didn't like being called stupid. Letting go of Clary, he roared, "DIE VAMPIRE!"

Clary pulled at her roots and swore that they were probably bleeding. She struggled to stand up and run away, but when she caught sight of the fight, she was astounded.

Diamond Skin was being mutilated by a smaller boy, around Clary's height with dark hair, and pale skin.

"Simon!" Clary sounded half questioning and half surprised. Simon shot one glance at her and smiled. Shortly after, Clary heard a loud crack, and as she looked down, she gasped in horror. Diamond Skin had an empty look in his eyes, and his neck was curved in an irregular angle.

"You…you…" Clary mumbled.  
"Yes, Clary." Simon let Diamond Skin's entire body fall to the ground. "I'm a… vampire." He said dramatically.

"YOU TWISTED HIS HEAD!" Clary exclaimed.  
"Yes, well, I've been practicing all night." Simon said amusedly.  
He cautiously approached her, and when he was close enough to touch, he brought a hand to her shoulder and squeezed lightly. "Clary, you don't have to be afraid of me…" He sounded like he was reassuring himself more than he was her.

"You twisted his head…" Clary echoed her words.  
"Yes." Simon sighed, bringing his hand down. Clary caught it, which surprised him. She looked up and met his deep glowing eyes.  
"That's awesome." She said, animatedly.

This made Simon laugh; at the corner of his lips, Clary could see his fangs protruding but it didn't in scare her in the least bit. Somehow the prospect of her best friend being a vampire didn't have an all round negative effect on her treatment towards him.

"I'm glad you're okay!" Clary hugged him fiercely and with familiarity, then let go. "Oh my! Mr. Lewis is still in the safehouse."  
Simon looked concerned. "Is he okay?"  
"He was unconscious when I left." Clary said.

Simon nodded. "I'll take care it later. Right now, you have to come with me. I need to take you some place safe where they couldn't possibly get you." As Simon spoke, he dragged Clary by the arm towards the north.

Clary pulled herself away.

Simon turned around to look at her like she was insane. "What are you doing?" he shrieked.  
"Simon, I have to go there and see my brother." Clary said with determination.  
Simon tried to pull her again but she wouldn't budge.  
Simon moaned. "Clary…" He tilted her face so her eyes were leveled to his. "Clary, you don't understand how dangerous it is in there."

"Simon…" Clary said in finality. She broke away and wandered to the edge of the slope. Below she saw the battle field and it was not very pretty.  
Her fingers were clenched and sweaty as they lay at her sides.

"It has to end here."

* * *

Shadowhunter

"Do you really think you can win?"

"With my reputation—yes."

Jonathan and Jace sparred with each other in the grand ballroom of the castle. Everyone was fighting to their fullest outside, and inside. No corner of the mansion was left untainted by blood or dead bodies.

Jonathan let out an airy laugh. "Confident aren't you, murderer?"  
"Look who's talking." Jace replied steadily.

Jonathan moved swiftly and tried to stab Jace with his sword. Jace evaded by a centimeter. This was insane. He'd been trying to catch Jonathan off guard for what seemed like hours… but the guy was completely focused and admittedly, very good at fighting. One careless move and Jace could be on the ground, panting and bleeding. Jace was cautious in giving the first blow, mostly because it was hard to find Jonathan's weak spot. This would've amused Jace at any other time. It was rare that he got to fight someone as good as he was, but right now, he had no time for appreciation. He had to focus on winning.

Jonathan moved to the left and Jace blocked him in correspondence but somehow, Jonathan managed to sneak a punch to his belly, causing Jace to keel over. Jonathan hovered over him, getting ready to strike, but Jace pushed a dagger to his knee and made him scream in pain.

When Jace got up, Jonathan began slicing at him. Jace carefully evaded, but his shirt was ripped in the middle. Jace used his blade and flung it directly at Jonathan's neck. There was no contact, but it temporarily caused Jonathan to be off balanced, and Jace took the opportunity to kick him in the balls.

Jonathan grabbed Jace's leg in the nick of time, and flung him in the opposite direction. Jace didn't know when exactly, but eventually, the two abandoned their swords and just went on with their battle in bare combat.

Later on, both of them were panting, bleeding and tired. But not one was going to surrender first. Jace felt the blood on his left eye itch but he refused to scratch it. Jace looked at Jonathan's face and saw that the boy didn't come out unscathed either. Both Jonathan's arms were bleeding, and his face was filled with bruises. His right eye was bulging and had a dark rim surrounding it, a result from one of Jace's punches awhile ago.

His clothes were dirty and out of place, but the crown was still on his head. Jace studied Jonathan's eyes and was stuck by the similarity it had to that of a demon's. They burned with hatred and his lips curved into an odd looking smirk.

In the dim light, his entire frame bloody and dirty, King Jonathan looked like that of Satan's spawn.

"Tired, Shadowhunter?" Jonathan addressed Jace by his code name.  
"Yes, hopefully the feeling is mutual." Jace said, spitting blood to the side.

Jonathan was about to advance at Jace once again when the door of the ballroom swung open with a loud bang.

"Jace!" The voice was high pitched and obviously Clary's. Jace was suddenly filled with panic. He looked at Jonathan and saw the evil smile on the boy's face. With lightning speed, the two boys raced towards Clary.

"Clary, run!" Jace yelled, but it was too late. Jonathan caught hold of his sister by the neck and had a dagger pressed to her throat.  
"One more step, Shadowhunter and your little wife is dead!" Jonathan threatened.

Jace knew better than to take his words as a bluff. He carefully stepped back.  
Jonathan, seeing Jace's hesitation, laughed maniacally.

"Fool! I'm still going to kill her anyway! Hahaha!" As Jonathan said so, he slit the dagger across Clary's neck. Jace looked like his eyes would pop out at any minute.  
"You Basta—" Jace began angrily, but then at the corner of his vision, he saw a small girl, her hair the color of flames, holding the sword he had dropped sometime ago.  
"Clary!" It was Clary. She was alive, and she was stabbing Jonathan's side with a knife. The sight made Jace extremely happy and proud at the same time.

Jonathan twisted distortedly, as he tried to keep the blood from flowing out of his hip.  
In anger, he said, "How did you… you're…"

"I really think I've great acting potential, don't you?" Jace knew that voice. He turned to the Clary whose throat was slit by Jonathan and wasn't surprised to find Magnus there.

"Magnus!" Jace exclaimed. They had separated somewhere in between the battle.

Magnus gave Jace a salute and said, "Your wife came unexpectedly into the battle with the vampire. I managed to get her safely through the guards and into the castle." Magnus smiled. "It looked like you could use our help."

Jace smirked. Jonathan, who was still clutching his wounds, took advantage of the situation and rammed towards Clary.

"Clary watch out!" Jace sprinted towards her. But before Jonathan could deliver his blow, a huge wolf burst from the windows, and blocked his way. The dagger seeped into his fur.

"No! Luke!" Jace and Magnus yelled. Magnus used his magic to fling Jonathan away from their commander and Jace went to Clary, who was sprawled on the floor.

"Clary! You have to get out of here!" Jace told her. "Go with Magnus!"  
"I'll take her." Another voice suggested. Jace turned to see Simon, looking over them.  
"You don't look too good, Meanie." Simon grimaced, seeing the bruises on Jace's face.  
Jace laughed hoarsely. "Forgot how silent your lot can get. Fine," Jace pulled Clary up, and holding her closely, he said, "Clary, you have to get out of here."

"I'm not leaving without you." Clary said stubbornly.  
"Will you just do as I say?" JAce glanced at Magnus, who was currently doing combat with Jonathan. Jonathan was doing well in evading Magnus' magical blows. Jace didn't know for how long Magnus could keep him distracted. "Look, this battle is almost over. When we're done, it'll all be okay again… okay? Right now, I need you to be safe. Go with Simon and get the hell out of here." Jace commanded.

Clary searched into his eyes, but eventually pulled away from him and ran with Simon towards the door. Jace heard a huge thud and saw that Magnus was already lying on his back, trying to get up.

"Leave him alone, Jonathan. It's me you're going to fight." Jace said, gravely.  
The room fell still. Jace turned to look at Jonathan who had abandoned torturing Magnus to face Jace, two swords in his hand.  
He smirked and tossed one towards Jace. Jace caught it by the hilt and took his stance.

"Eventful evening, Shadowhunter. I didn't expect my sister to come up so suddenly. Do forgive the intrusion." Jonathan changed from blood thirsty killer into a socialite of grace and politeness.

Jace smiled, evenly. "No problem. What do you say we fight like gentlemen, now?" Jace pointed the tip of his sword towards Jonathan's neck.  
Jonathan didn't say anything in response. He simply arced his neck and mirrored Jace's gesture. Jace inhaled long. Now they fight for victory.

* * *

Princess

Clary wouldn't leave the castle. Not unless she had her friends, her husband and her mother with her.  
"I think she's in the throne room, Clary!" Simon informed her. They ran through rooms and opened doors, erratically. Once or twice, they'd see a stray Albatross guard, but Simon would have them dead in a matter of minutes.

Finally, they reached the huge throne room where Clary's father would entertain guests and business affairs. She swung the double door open and the inside was bare, no sign of any life form whatsoever.

"Clary! Over there, by the corner!" Clary looked. Huddled up in a ball, was her mother, Jocelyn, her arms and feet tied together. Clary ran to her and pulled her up.

"Mom! Mom! It's me, Clary!" Clary shook her mother awake.  
The woman's eyelids fluttered open and she struggled to gain focus. "Clarissa?"  
Clary sighed with relief. "Thank God, you're okay. Yes, mom, it's me. Come on, we have to go."

Clary lifted her mother and concentrated all of Jocelyn's weight to her shoulders.  
"Wait, let me get those for you." Simon bit at the rope on Jocelyn's arms and legs.  
Jocelyn was very impressed. "Why, Simon, I didn't know you had a strong bite!"  
His incisors were extra sharp due to the fact he was a vampire but Jocelyn didn't need to know that, so Simon only smiled.

"Come on, mom! We have to get out of here!" Simon took Jocelyn's other side and together, he and Clary helped Jocelyn walk to the door.  
"Oh, Clary." Jocelyn sobbed to her daughter. "Your brother he…"  
"Yes, mom. I know." Clary used her free hand to wipe the tears from her mother's face.

Jocelyn gave a weak smile. "You must have been through some adventures, haven't you?"  
Simon coughed.  
"Oh, my poor, Clary. I'm glad you're safe and well though." Jocelyn said, lovingly. Simon coughed louder.  
"Terrible cold, Simon?" Jocelyn said concernedly. Simon only looked at his feet.  
"Nothing; I'm just a little tired after all that's happened tonight, Your Queenship, 'tis all." Simon said, cordially.

They used the back door in escaping the palace, instead of going the front way. Clary doubted her mother would like to see all that mayhem and destruction. Thankfully, the trip towards the exit came without Albatross guards or any hindrances. In a matter of minutes, Clary managed to get her mom safely hidden in nearby bushes, Simon tending to her wounds.

"Clary, did something horrible happen to you my dear?" Jocelyn asked.  
"No mom. I'm fine." Clary reassured. Simon was busily bandaging her arm.  
"I'll go find, Izzy. I'll be back in seconds… I mean," Simon caught himself. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Stay here, Clary." Simon then ran off.

"Izzy? A new friend of yours?" Jocelyn asked innocently, cradling her bandaged arm.  
"Uhm, yes. Mom, I need to tell you—you, uhm, deserve to know." Clary fidgeted. "A lot of things happened in the past few weeks you see…" Clary tried to find words that fit, but it was pretty difficult.

Clary looked at her mother sitting there, her flaming hair settled perfectly on her thin face. Her eyes were bright and green like hers, shining with encouragement.

"You can tell me anything, honey. You know that right?" Jocelyn said lovingly. Clary smiled. "It's great to see you again, mom." Clary held out her hands for a hug and something shiny caught Jocelyn's attention.

Shimmering on her daughter's ring finger was unmistakably a wedding ring.

"WHAT ON EARTH?" Jocelyn's eyes could've popped out of their sockets.  
Clary winced.  
"I'll explain later."

* * *

Shadowhunter

Jace spat out blood for the nth time in the night.  
"So you fancy my sister, Shadowhunter?" Jonathan said companionably.  
"What's it to you?" Jace said.  
Jonathan thrust his sword towards Jace. JAce dodged effectively.  
Jonathan laughed emptily. "Oh no reason. Just thought I'd just let you have one little pretty thought before I rip your throat out."  
As he said so, he pointed his sword at the base of Jace's neck.

"Hope they give killers like you a special spot in hell." Jonathan whispered.  
Jace gasped for air, but in all confidence, he said,  
"When they do, I'll save you a seat."

Then everything went still. It was like time ceased moving when Jace pushed the sword he was hiding underneath through Jonathan's chest. The boy fell backwards, his eyes, blind and staring, and made a loud thud against the floor board.

Jace fell back as well, in exhaustion. He closed his eyes momentarily, then he heard a low whimper.  
His eyes shot open immediately. "Luke!"  
Despite the burning pain in his entire body, Jace ran towards his commander and kneeled in front of him.

"Hang on, Wolf. I'll go get somebody!" Jace turned to his surroundings. "Magnus!" he pleaded.

"He has serious injuries, Shadowhunter." A deep voice said. Jace paused. He glanced above him and saw around 50 Albatross assassins looking down on him. Jace looked at Luke, breathing heavily, in Wolf form, obviously in pain.

"I don't have time to kill any of you. I have to save my Commander." Jace said, attempting to carry Luke.  
"You wont be able to do it alone, Shadowhunter." A female voice said.  
"Let us help you." Said another.  
"Why the hell would you help me?" Jace accused. "You wanted to kill me a few hours ago!"

The assassins fell from the ceiling and surrounded him.  
"He made us do it. You know we are all bound to our masters." Said the male voice again.  
"We don't want to be…killers…anymore." A small voice piped in.  
Jace looked at all their faces. They were all stained with blood and sweat but their eyes held redemption in them, genuine and true.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Jace demanded.

A huge man stepped up. Jace recognized him as Sephus, the leader of a certain sector of assassins. Jace respected Sephus; he wasn't one to be ill towards his victims, and was well known as a fair judge of character.

"We have to go back to Albatross. We need to set things right. We want you to lead us."  
"Why me?" Jace asked.  
"You have made the change, you see." Sephus said with a smile. "By defying Albatross' command to kill the young Princess, you have become a figure of reform to all of us. We will forever look up to you."

Everyone gave nods of agreement.  
"Wait, wait, wait. Okay, this is all flattering and all, but…"

"Jace?" A small voice came from the other end of the room. The assassins made way for Jace to see who it was, and to no surprise, it was Clary.  
"Didn't I tell you to get out of here?" Jace said, standing up.  
"Didn't I say that I wouldn't leave without you?" Clary countered.  
Jace, grunting, let go of Luke to stalk over to his wife. "You never listen! You are the most hard-headed, careless—"  
Clary approached with just as much strife. "Well, you're one big gigantic meanie! And you're also—"

"Clary, dear, I think your friend over there needs help." Jace jolted. He suddenly became aware that it wasn't just him and Clary in the room. Everyone was looking at them, and he could feel the heat radiating from Clary. She must've forgotten they weren't alone too.

The voice belonged to a tall woman with flaming orange hair, and kind looking eyes. Jace could distinguish some features of hers that were identical to Clary; like her cheek bones and her eye color. It didn't take Jace long to figure out who she was.

"Your Queenship." Jace bowed respectfully at the Queen of Alicante. The other assassins followed suite.

The queen regarded Jace thoughtfully before turning to her daughter.  
"Is this the one you married?"  
Jace looked at Clary and saw that she nodded.  
The Queen focused on Jace again. He felt the weight of her stare settle in, and he met her eyes directly.  
Eventually, the queen smiled and said, "You handle my daughter very well."

Jace felt the contraction in his stomach recede. Clary breathed easier beside him. Silently, she also took his hand in hers. Jace interlocked their fingers and squeezed her hand softly.

"Shadowhunter." Sephus' voice interrupted. Jace turned to them, Clary's hand still in his.  
"We have to go back to Albatross. You need to lead the resistance." Everyone looked at him with begging eyes.

"I can't go… I…" A soft hand touched Jace's face. He looked to see Clary staring sadly at him.  
"You have to go." Her voice was small and sad, Jace was angered by her vulnerability.  
"Get angry. Call me a Meanie. Hit me! Anything, Clary! Just don't…" JAce cupped her face in both his hands. "Don't look at me like that."  
A single tear escaped her eye, but a smile was on her face.  
"You have to go, Jace."  
"I'm not leaving you."

"Shadowhunter..." Sephus interjected.  
"Will you shut up?" Jace snapped. "Clary, I'm not leaving you, okay? I don't care about any of that crap. I'm. Not. Leaving. You."

Clary looked into his eyes again, and for a long time, they just stood there, staring at each other, trying to memorize each feature.

Finally, Clary moved closer and kissed him on the lips. It was short and sweet, and by the time it was over, Jace felt a huge pain stab at his chest, far deeper than any sword or dagger.

"So this is goodbye?" Clary whispered.  
"Hell no." JAce said.  
"Jace," Clary pleaded. "Look at them." Clary meant the assassins. "They _need_ you. You have to go."

"You're telling me I have to go, and yes, I understand that it would be the logical thing to do. Everything has to end here. If I don't go, a new generation of assassins will just make everything we've worked hard to destroy come back from the ruins. All this torture… this killing… it has to end…"

"Exactly, so we say goodbye then?" Clary was staring at his chest, obviously, she was trying to conceal the tears.  
"And again, I repeat, HELL NO." Jace said with finality.

"Jace, I don't understand you!" Clary flailed her arms but Jace caught them and he whispered soothingly, "Clary, wherever I'm going, don't worry okay? I'll be fine. Whenever you're lonely, think about me. I'm never ever going to stop loving you. And I'm coming back. Wait for me, or else."

Something JAce said made Clary laugh. "Or else what, Shadowhunter?" She said mockingly. Clary raised her gaze to meet his eyes now. They were moist but they glittered with love for him, he hoped would never fade.

"Or else, I'm going to have to kill whoever stole you away from me."  
Clary laughed again, and JAce moved in to kiss her once more, this time longer and more passionately.

"We're coming with you, JAce." Jace broke away from Clary and saw Isabelle and Alec limping towards him.  
JAce lolled his head sideways. "You guys stay here. You're going to be safe here."  
"Jace, we are not letting you go back to Albatross alone." The voice was Magnus Bane's. He was sitting on the floor, holding an ice bag to his head.

Jace ignored their protests. "Take care of Clary for me, would you? Put your training to good use and kill off any suitors."  
Clary hit him on the arm. "You're still married, you know." Jace defended himself.  
Clary smiled at him and pinched his cheek.  
Jace turned to the other assassins and asked them, "How long is this thing going to take, anyway?"

Sephus laughed. "Don't be so impatient, Shadowhunter. It won't take long. A few months is all we need at a minimum, to bring down the Albatross empire."

"I take it you won't come and live with us in the new world?" said the female assassin.  
"I think I'll pass." Jace said.  
"Very well, if that is your decision, then we shall respect it, Shadowhunter." Sephus bowed respectfully.  
"Jace… we are coming with you, that's final!" Izzy began to panic.  
"Prima Bronze…" the female assassin called out. "Lord Shadowhunter ahs asked you to stay here for the meantime and guard his lady love. You shall do as he asks."

"Did you just call him Lord Shadowhunter?" Izzy asked in disgust.  
"Jealous, Iz? I have my own assassin faction and you don't. OUCH!" Jace was eagerly hit by Izzy's whip.  
"Whatever! Jace! You CANNOT go there without us!" Izzy protested. "It's just—"  
"Izzy, that's enough." It was Alec. Jace looked at him, calming his sister down.  
Jace and Alec looked at each other for a long time until Alec finally said, "So you promise to come home after a few months?"  
"On the blood of my ancestors." Jace promised.  
Alec came forward and hugged his friend, companionably. "Take care, you lunatic."

"You're okay with this?" Izzy screamed.  
"There is no way we can stop him. Might as well let him go if he promises to come back in one piece." Alec smiled at Jace and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Both of you have completely lost your minds!" but as Isabelle said so, she ran towards JAce and hugged him fiercely.  
Magnus stood up too, and it was one big group hug.  
"Jace?" The team split up upon hearing Clary's voice. Jace came towards her again and she pushed something into his hands.  
"What is this?" JAce asked, peeking into his fist. It was something round and silver.

"That's the Morgenstern ring. It's a family heirloom. My father gave it to my mother on their wedding day. And my mom gave it to me when she found out I was already… uh… married." Clary shot a look to her mother who only smiled. Magnus was stifling a laugh in the background.

"I'm giving it to you." Clary held it out to him and placed in his ring finger. "Here. So you'll have a little piece of my world just as I have a little piece of yours."

Jace looked from the Morgenstern ring on his finger to the Invincibility ring he gave her, and he couldn't help but smile.

"I assume that Commander Wolf will stay here, with the rest of your team, Shadowhunter?" Sephus, yet again, interrupted.  
"You really have great timing, don't you, Sephus?" Jace said sarcastically. "Yes. I'm leaving him in the care of everyone else."

Jace looked at Clary again. "I love you."

"I love you too, you big meanie." Clary held him closely for one last time, then broke away, so he could go with the other assassins to put an end to things once and for all.  
"Hey, Simon." Jace called out, randomly.

"Yeah?" Simon, who was silent all throughout the time, answered.  
"I'm coming back for her, so don't do anything funny." Jace said with a grin.

Simon laughed. "I wouldn't dare, _Lord Shadowhunter_."  
Jace scoffed, but it not out of smite.

"Are we ready to go now, Shadowhunter?" Sephus piped in.

Jace gave one last look at everyone. They were all bloody and tears stained their faces, but he'd never seen so much love in his whole life. He'd never felt more at home.

"Let's go."

The walls of the broken ballroom began to slowly distort and everything faded into dark shadows. Jace saw everyone waving goodbye, then almost abruptly, they faded away too, until he was facing nothing more than a plain canvass of white as they teleported back into Albatross.

* * *

**A/N:** SURPRISE! :D REAL FINAL CHAPTER TO BE POSTED:** EPILOGUE. ***yay!*

Obviously, I wouldnt let you guys hang like that. :) Soo you think JAce will come back? :D hahahaa oh bittersweet separations. How painful long distance relationships are :)))

Hopefully I can post the final final chapter by tomorrow or the day after that :) Hope you guys liked this chapter :) I'm sorry if it wasnt any good. stupid brain has nothing useful except formulas and mathematical equations :)

READ AND REVIEW AND I'LL LOVE YOU! :*


	16. EPILOGUE

**A/N**: The Epilogue chapter :) Sorry if it sucks, i didnt have the time to reread it... i had to get back to my papers and real life :( Thank you to everyone who read and review! **firecrushedcat, ilyjace, burning.,Ariaxoxo , Jace's Lover (love the username btw dude :))) and Psalms chapter 34 verse 11** :)

Thank you soooo much! :D :*

And to **everyone who read and reviewed previous chapters that i never got to thank**... BIIIIIG HUGSS ALL AROUND! :)  
Thank you to the **58 **who kept this story on their favorites list!  
Thank you to the **57 **who kept this story on their alert list!

You guys rock! :)

* * *

**THE NIGHT-ERRAND**  
_/dedicated to the City of Bones/  
_

* * *

Princess

Snowflakes fell from the clear blue sky and the entire land was covered with what appeared to be a gigantic white blanket. She entered the big castle which was her home and remembered to wipe her feet before running inside. It had been a difficult battle against snow demons and the Abominable Snowman, but she survived with minimal damage. She pulled off her boots and ran into the main hall to get some heat in her system. As expected, the furnace was burning with warmth when she entered and she sighed happily, feeling very comfortable.

"How was your day, sweetheart?" She looked up to find her mother, smiling down at her. She had just finished putting a star on top of their Christmas Tree. Her mother had the prettiest orange hair ever, she wished her hair was like that, but it was of honey blonde.

"Yes, mom. The Abominable Snowman put up a fight, but I got him in the end!" She said triumphantly. Her mother laughed a melodic laugh and went towards her. Her mother picked her up and kissed the tip of her nose.

"I hope you didn't hurt Luke _that_ much. He's a wolf and all, but you do throw a pretty mean punch." Her mother smiled, and messed with her hair. She didn't like her hair messed up but she loved her mother a lot, so it was okay.

"Is dad coming home this year, mom?" Her mother turned to look at her and obviously forced a smile. "We'll see, dear. I'm sure your father would like to see how you've grown up, Beth."

She smiled broadly. "I'm nearly 3 now."

"Yes and you have the strength that of 2 vampires!" A tall man came into the room and lifted Beth off of her feet and unto his shoulders.  
"I hope she didn't hurt you, Luke." Her mother told him.

"Nah, Little Bethy here cant hurt the Abominable Snowman! Mwahahaha!" Beth let out a small giggle and struggled to get free from the clutches of the Abominable snowman.

When she did manage to, she ran towards her mother and used a Christmas ball as ahand grenade, hitting Luke squarely on the head.

"Beth!"

"And she has her father's aim!" Luke said, wincing.

Beth giggled. "Sorry, mom."

Her mother picked her up again and brought her towards the Christmas Tree. "Would you like to put a ball on it, honey?"

"Yes!Yes!Yes!" She reached for a dozen balls and it all came falling down because eher little arms could barely contain them.

"Easy there, honey! One at a time!" Her mother purred.

"Who wants cookies?" Beth turned towards the kitchen door. A beautiful dark haired woman came in carrying a plate of black and partly burned pastries.

"Wow, Izzy! You made a special batch for Simon!" Luke exclaimed.

"Why is it only for Simon?" Izzy looked murderous.

"Well, only the non-living could consume that and not puke… or die… and AH! Don't throw that at me!" Luke tried to evade the series of cookies flying his way.

One hit his shoulder. "Ouch! What kind of flour did you use? Rock powder?" And another one came flying to his stomach causing him to screech in pain.

"That's enough you guys." From the other door came Beth's uncle, a tall man who had the same dark hair as Izzy. His eyes were as blue as the ocean.

He caught sight of Beth and came over to coo her.

"Hey there, Bethy! Come to Uncle Alec!" Beth was more than happy to come into his arms. He kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"Where's Uncle Shiny-Pants?" Beth inquired.

"Who? Magnus?" Alec said, amusedly.

A laugh came from her mother. "Yes, she's taken a liking to calling him that."

Alec laughed too. "Wait, okay, Bethy? Uncle Magnus is just taking in the roast beef. Magnus!"

"Yes, Al—Ooh! Beth! Cute little Beth! Aww… you miss Uncle Sparkly?" He lightly pinched her cheeks.

"Uh-huh. Your pants!" she pointed accusingly. "They're not shiny!"

"I'll change into my special shiny pants later, sweetie. Aw, aren't you just the cutest thing ever!" He fixed her hair and lightly tossed her up and down. This made Beth laugh a lot.

"Alright! Is everyone here?" Beth heard her mother call.

"I'm coming, honey." An older version of her mother came through the kitchen door. "I had to get the emergency cookies from the oven. Maybe next year, Izzy." She patted Izzy's shoulder maternally.

"Who wants cookies? Beth?"  
"Thanks Granma." Beth totted over to her grandmother Jocelyn and took a big cookie and pretty much swallowed it whole.

"I know 2 year olds eat a lot, but Beth consumes everything. Is that natural?"

Beth turned to the other side and said, her mouth still full of food, "Runkle Rymon!"

Simon smiled sweetly and held his arms open for the toddler. She ran towards him and he lifted her up with ease.

"Hey, kiddo. Dad can't come tonight, by the way." He said to Beth's mother. "He said he'd love to come over but the snow is too deep and he's just too old to trek through it. I told him I'll come over when the blizzard stops and carry him over here."

"You're really cold, Uncle Simon." Beth stated a-matter-of-factly, as soon as she swallowed her cookie.

He laughed and squished her cheek. "I was taken by the Snowman!" he said, animatedly.

Beth gasped happily. "Oh no! Not Uncle Simon!"

Everyone laughed but soon a bell sounded through all the hilarity.

"Alright, everyone's here!" It was her mother. "We should all eat dinner now before the food gets cold."

"But mom—we have to wait for Dad." Beth chimed in. Everyone fell silent as they stared at her mother.

Beth didn't know much about adults and all that, but what she did know was that her dad was away on a mission and he promised he was going to come back… so every year they all waited for him to get back, but nothing. But Beth always hoped that he would. It was the only thing she asked for during Christmas (other than a pony and a big shiny sword like the ones Granpa Lewis has in his home)

She has never seen her dad, but by the way everyone talks about him, he must have been a great guy. They say she had his hair and his stance. She was confident and strong and had a smart mouth at a young age. Beth always wanted to meet her father, she longed to play with him and fight snow demons and the Abominable Snowman with him—they said he was a really good fighter.

"Clary," Simon had called her mother's given name, and Beth stared at them in confusion.

"He… he's coming this year. I know it!" Beth half-yelled.

Clary, her mother, walked up to her daughter and began to soothe her.

"There, there, sweetie. It's alright. Daddy will come someday. Not just this—"

"No! I really feel it mom! He's coming today! I know he is! I know he is!" Beth struggled to be free from Simon's arms. When he set her on the ground, she ran straight for the door.

"Beth!" Her mother called after her.

Beth didn't look back. She put on her boots and sprinted out into the snow covered yard.

Granpa Lewis was right to stay indoors while the blizzard was ongoing. It was extremely cold and the wind kept howling and snow seemed to fall violently.

Beth tried to push her way into the forest which was right in front of their home and found herself growing more tired by the second.

Eventually, she collapsed near a tree, and lying on the snow at that moment, she could see lights fill the corner of her vision. They were of different colors and she found them ethereal and nevertheless beautiful. A gushing wind threw snow into her eyes and she struggled to move and keep them from irritating, but she couldn't find the strength.

Beth lay there helplessly. The lights were gone, and everything became shadows. She was almost losing consciousness.

"Dad…" she said weakly.

Two warm hands gripped at her shoulders and immediately woke her up. These hands brought her up and carried her steadily. Beth's vision was still blurry so she couldn't see who was carrying her. She stared off into the distance instead and saw a silhouette of her home, and dozens of torch lights spread in many areas.

Her family was looking for her. If Beth listened carefully she could hear her mother's voice calling her name.

Beth tried to say, _Mom! I'm over here! _But she was too frozen to do anything but shiver. The unknown person held her closer to him and she felt an odd sense of heat radiating from him. It almost felt natural.

The voices got louder, and the wind ceased. The blizzard had passed.

"Beth! Oh my god!" That was her mother's voice. Beth struggled to move and call her mother. What came out was only a rasping sound.

"M-mom…" She turned to focus on her mother and she was surprised to see her mother staring wide eyed at her. She looked shell shocked. What was even more surprising was when Beth looked at everyone else, they wore the same expression.

"M-mom?" Beth quirked, not understanding a single thing that was going on.

"Sorry it took me so long." Beth was startled. The stranger who saved her from the blizzard had spoken to her mother.

Beth didn't understand if her mother was sad or happy because tears were falling down her cheek but she was smiling broadly.

"Well, what do you know…" Uncle Sparkly Pants said, his eyes moist themselves.

"Welcome home, Jace." Aunt Izzy said, her voice cracking with sobs of joy.

Beth looked at her mother and saw that she was looking back, a loving smile on her face.

"Beth, this is Jace; he's your dad."

Beth felt like her stomach was tosse dup in the air and back into her system. She nearly cracked her neck as she turned to stare at the man holding her.

He indeed, had golden hair like hers. He had a smile that resembled hers. His stare looked exactly like hers.

"Beth." Her name coming from his lips was beautiful, Beth thought. He caressed her soft cheek and lifted her up so he could see her, and she could see him. "You have your mother's eyes."

Her mother had come closer to him now, and he held her closely. "Welcome home, Jace."

"Dad?" Beth built up the courage to speak.

"Yes, Beth?" Her father focused his bright yellow eyes on her.

Their color made Beth smile brightly. "Welcome home, Dad."

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you everyone who supported this story :) I love all of you lots! :D I'm working on new projects, i swear ;) and maybe, hopefully, i'll post more stories soon :D

And if you're wondering, I chose the name BETH because of the song from Kiss with the same title :)

_Beth I know you're lonely, but I can't come home right now... _

fave lyrics EVER :))

Read and Review as always and for the rest of the story...how you think stuff ended up...it's for your imagination :)

:*


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